Advertisers warned over social media 'toxic bro culture'

Social media advertisers are inadvertently supporting the rise of a ‘toxic bro culture’, which is fuelling online misogyny and driving young people, particularly women, away from many platforms for good.

That is one of the stark conclusions of a new study commissioned by Amnesty International UK, which comes amid growing public debate over misogynistic influences online fuelled by the Netflix drama Adolescence.

With advertising being the main revenue driver for the vast majority of platforms, Amnesty insists the findings underscore the urgent need for tech giants to overhaul their policies and take concrete steps towards ensuring safer digital communities.

“Toxic Tech: How Misogyny is Shaping Gen Z’s Online Experience” was conducted by Savanta and is taken from the testimony of 3,024 Gen Z respondents from a nationally representative sample of the UK population.

It reveals that an overwhelming 73% of Gen Z social media users have witnessed misogynistic content online with half encountering it on a weekly basis. The problem is only getting worse, as 70% believe misogynistic and divisive language has increased over the past 12 months.

Alarmingly, 55% express concerns about seeing misogynistic content, and less than half (49%) feel that social media is a safe space.

The polling also uncovers the shocking forms of online harassment faced by Gen Z women, including the fact that more than half (53%) have received inappropriate emojis on their posts and photos; 44% have received unsolicited explicit images ; 43% have been body-shamed; 40% have been subjected to unwanted sexually suggestive comments; 32% have experienced hate speech; and 27% have reported online stalking.

Among social media platforms, TikTok is seen as the worst offender. Specifically, 70% of respondents reported encountering misogynistic content on TikTok, rising to 80% for women, followed by Instagram (61%), Twitter/X (37%), YouTube (31%), and Facebook (30%).

One young person said: “As a woman, it’s something women experience every day. I no longer post on social media due to the constant hate and negativity. Even seeing the comments/hate directed towards somebody else is soul destroying.”

Another Gen Z respondent said: “It’s so ingrained in society, that many people don’t recognise it when it’s happening – which is sad. The hatred of women is everywhere and dictates the way men behave online.”

The survey also found that Gen Z women with disabilities are twice as likely as women without disabilities to spend more than 10 hours a day on social media (11% vs 6%). And, three in ten women with disabilities (29%) who have experienced online misogyny, reported that they had received threats of violence online compared with one in five of those without disabilities (18%).

Meanwhile, Gen Z women with ethnic minority backgrounds who have experienced online misogyny, are more likely to have experienced hate speech than their white counterparts (38% vs 31%).

However, nearly two-thirds (62%) of Gen Z believe misogyny on social media mirrors real-world sexism, but there is a significant gender split on this belief with Gen Z women (71%) more likely to agree than Gen Z men (51%).

One Gen Z man said: “Anything online is a joke and people who cry about others rage baiting need a helmet.” Another said: “It isn’t that deep. It’s all a laugh”

But a Gen Z woman said: “Online misogyny often reflects real life attitudes, it shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

When it comes to who is to blame for the rise of misogynistic language online, political leaders, public figures and influencers are all cited as driving divisive narratives.

From a list of high-profile social media users, men most frequently name Andrew Tate (50%) as a key source of online misogyny, while women point to Donald Trump (58%) as a major contributor.

In the past month, 57% of Gen Z men report they have seen content from Elon Musk, 55% from Trump and 41% from Andrew Tate, while women point to Trump (58%) as a major contributor.

Recent changes in content moderation policies on Meta and X have sparked concerns that key safeguards against hate speech and abuse are being dismantled. In a bid to champion unfettered expression, these platforms have relaxed rules that once limited harmful content, creating an environment where abusive rhetoric can proliferate.

Amnesty says this shift raises pressing questions about the balance between free speech and protecting users from online harm.

In the case of TikTok, despite having robust policies in place, enforcement remains inconsistent, with Amnesty claiming TikTok’s algorithm can inadvertently amplify harmful narratives, exposing a predominantly young audience to misogynistic content.

Amnesty International UK’s gender justice programme director Chiara Capraro said: “This polling paints a deeply troubling picture of the digital world young people are forced to navigate.

“Tech companies continue to prioritise profit over people’s safety and the result is a barrage of misogynistic content which deeply affects young people’s online experience. A toxic ‘bro’ culture is driving many young women away from social media altogether.

“Gen Z are being inundated by a deluge of online misogyny, and these findings should be a stark wake-up call for tech leaders, who have either ignored the abuse their users are experiencing or, in some cases, actively contributed to letting it rip.

“Social media should be a space for creativity, expression, and connection – not a hostile environment rife with harassment and hate. It’s time for tech companies to step up and take responsibility for the safety of their users. Women’s rights are human rights and online misogyny does real world harm.”

The organisation is now calling on social media companies to take urgent action to address the epidemic of online misogyny by strengthening content moderation policies to swiftly remove misogynistic content; implementing more robust reporting mechanisms for victims of online abuse; holding offenders accountable through enforcing meaningful penalties; and increasing transparency on platform efforts to curb harmful content.