For Elizabeth Payne, receiving direct messages on Instagram asking for nudes or propositioning sexual services is a regular occurrence.
“I probably get messages of a sexual nature or propositioning sexual services on a weekly or fortnightly basis,” the 22-year-old told The Feed.
Elizabeth said this kind of interaction on social media is common amongst her friend group.
She said she used to report the messages but they would often come back saying the platform found nothing wrong - eventually she lost faith.
“I feel like social media platforms don’t pick up on reports unless it is in the extreme instances, I feel like they don’t understand there is a spectrum of abuse,” she said.
Elizabeth is part of a team of young female, and non-binary activists, from Plan International who’ve released this week calling for social media companies to do more to protect young women online. They’re also calling on companies to educate users on how to identify violence and abuse online.
Elizabeth Payne Source: Supplied
Activist and co-author, Olivia Causer said the report found the need for people to be ‘active bystanders’ when they spot abuse online.
“An active bystander is someone who speaks out when they see abuse or violence online,” the 18-year-old told The Feed.
“That could be a supportive comment for the victim, calling out the perpetrator, or sending a message of support.”
Olivia said they found that most people are willing to be active bystanders, they just need some encouragement or direction.
Now, she’s calling for social media platforms to be the ones to give that direction in the form of videos outlining what abuse on social media looks like and how to call it out.
“Social media is such a powerful tool and at the moment I feel like it is not a safe space for women.”
Olivia Causer Source: Supplied
In her experience, Olivia has said that many of the reporting mechanisms on social media are ineffective.
“A lot of the time you can report content on Tik Tok and nothing comes of it, social media platforms need more accountability”
A spokesperson from TikTok told The Feed that the platform is committed to maintaining a safe environment by removing accounts that engage in bullying and harassment.
“We offer community members robust tools to report content, filter comments and block accounts, and we provide expert-backed anti-bullying resources and education in our Safety Centre,” the spokesperson told The Feed.
The head of Women’s Safety at Facebook and Instagram, Cindy Southworth told The Feed she’s grateful for the report’s work in elevating the voices of young, diverse women. She said it helps the platform understand their experiences online.
“We work with over 400 safety partners, including Plan International, to create policies, products and programs that help protect vulnerable communities from harassment and hate online,” Southworth said.
“All of us have a role and responsibility to stop online gender-based violence and harassment against young people when we see it.”
Elizabeth got involved with the report because she believes youth-lead research around online abuse is important and needs to be done by people who are impacted by it.
“I don't want people to have the same experience I’ve had and I want to shape the changes to make social media a safer and better place to grow an online community.”
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.
