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Kids Online Safety

Online misogyny: supporting girls against hate

Find information and steps you can take to help support your daughter against online hate.  

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Why you should talk to your daughter about online hate  

Being online can be a positive experience for girls and young women. It can allow them to play, learn, explore and share interests with friends. But being online also comes with the risk of being exposed to online hate.  

Online hate can come in many different forms, but it can also be focussed specifically on being a girl or woman (also known as misogyny).    

Your daughter may see this type of online hate:  

  • from people she knows 
  • from strangers
  • on content designed specifically to cause harm 

It’s important to talk to your daughter about online misogyny, and what she can do if she encounters it.  

Did you know?

A 2025 survey, by Girlguiding, showed that 54% of 11 to 16-year-old girls said they are careful about appearing too self-confident in front of boys for fear of abuse.

Start small

Chose a time that is calm or neutral to start talking (such as in the car, walking together from school or at home).  This will help to keep the conversation more relaxed.  

These conversations might feel awkward or difficult at first but start small, and don’t be discouraged if they are not interested at first.  

Steps she can take to stay safe  

It’s important to talk to your daughter about online misogyny, as it can help her recognise negative behaviour and know what to do if she encounters it.  

You could talk to your daughter about:  

1. Being able to spot the warning signs  

Some online content is designed to make to make money from being controversial (often called ‘rage bait’ or ‘click bait’). This is designed to create anger or frustration to generate interaction through clicks, comments, and shares. 

It may pretend to give “advice for men”, but actually it could be spreading harmful ideas about women and girls.

Your daughter might see online content that:  

  • makes her feel uncomfortable or disrespected  
  • makes her question her value, her confidence or self-worth  
  • ignores or rejects other people’s opinions  
  • makes jokes aimed to bring girls down   
  • comments on women’s bodies or appearance  

Recognising that this content might have been created to intentionally cause harm, can help your daughter decide not to look or engage with it, or accept it.

2. Trust her feelings 

Girls are more likely to be the target of online hate and abuse. A study from the Open University, found that 25% of girls and women aged 16 to 24 had experienced online violence.  

Try to encourage your daughter to trust her feelings when she sees online content that worries her. Especially if it makes her feel pressured, judged or shamed for being a girl.  

It’s good for her to recognise those feelings and know those situations are not okay. 

3. Talk about safe steps she can take 

Talk to your daughter about what she can do in these situations. It can be tempting to respond to this content by confronting or arguing with the person. But this often doesn’t solve situation and can make things worse.  


Tell her she can:  

  • leave chats or videos without explaining why  
  • block people or accounts  
  • report upsetting content or accounts (take screenshot if needed) 
  • tell a trusted adult what’s happened (this could be you, another family member or a teacher) 

4. Encourage her to spend time in positive spaces

These could be: 

  • taking part in offline activities such as sports, music, art, STEM communities 
  • female role‑models or influencer spaces, which encourage positive empowerment 
  • hobbies or creative groups which are linked to your daughter’s interests 
  • online gaming areas that are moderated, to protect players from abuse and hate 

Spending time in positive spaces online can help your daughter recognise negative content or behaviour. 

Did you know?

A 2025 survey, by Girlguiding, showed that 63% of 17 to 18-year-old girls had heard comments from boys that made them feel uncomfortable.

Carry on the conversation 

Talking to your daughter about online hate is unlikely to be just one conversation. You should regularly talk to her about the subject and how she is feeling following some of the tips outlined. 

You could revisit the topic in small ways, keeping calm and neutral, maybe even discussing things you have seen in TV or films or some of his friendships, relationships. 

It’s important to have ongoing conversations and make sure she feels supported and can come to you for advice. 

Further support   

Find further information and support to help keep your daughter safe from online hate:  

Love Respect can help girls and teenagers recognise the signs of unhealthy relationships 

Internet Matters has resources dedicated to misogyny including explanations for terms used

Young Minds  and Mind are charities for young people offering support and advice with mental health 

You can also see our guidance on how to support boys from this type of behaviour. 

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