John, how safe do you feel online?

Each year, the ADL Center for Technology and Society surveys thousands of people about their experiences with hate and harassment online.

The results this year are appalling. Among U.S. adults, 52% reported having been being harassed online at some point in their life. The percentages of reported hate and harassment have spiked for those in marginalized groups including Jews, LGBTQ+ people and people of color.

For years, social media platforms have been paying lip service to trust and safety, insisting their teams have things under control. But the lived experience of social media users is telling us a very different story — that harassment on social media is sustained and is getting worse. It is time for social media companies to truly protect users against hate, and for policymakers to require these companies to fully and transparently report on how they are actually enforcing their own rules.

It’s Time to Take Action

Facebook was where most of the harassment reported in this study took place, cited by 54% of those who reported being harassed.

As a concerned supporter of ADL, I urge you to demand that Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram) prioritize the safety of the people on its platforms. Targets of these problems need more support when they report hate or harassment to Meta platforms. The company must also commit to detecting and removing hateful content proactively, while making sure targets of abuse have effective tools to stop attacks in progress.

Despite the many commitments Facebook and other platforms have made in the past to reduce harmful content and improve resources for those targeted, it is clearly not enough.

This is also your reminder to be kind to one another on the internet — online hate and harassment have a real impact on people. Go to our new Online Hate and Harassment report to learn more and join us in Fighting Hate for Good.

Sincerely,
Yael Eisenstat
VP, ADL Center for Technology & Society