Growing up online: how violence follows girls across platforms

New EIGE research on cyber violence against teenage girls exposes a pattern of online harm that policymakers can no longer treat as exceptional.

She checks her phone before getting out of bed. Not that she wants to, but she has to know what’s been said about her overnight before facing it at school.

New research from EIGE reveals that this is a common morning ritual for girls across Europe.

The report, Combatting cyber violence against girls, - out end of June 2026 - is based on focus groups with 133 young women aged 13 to 18 across ten EU Member States.

It puts lived experience at the centre of what we know about cyber violence. The findings make for an uncomfortable read, but they provide valuable insights for policymakers to change this all-too-common reality for teenage girls online.

More than one in ten women (12.3%) experiences online abuse, including threats, stalking, harassment and image-based abuse, according to the EU gender-based violence survey.

However, the latest EIGE research paints an even more disturbing picture for teenage girls. 

Girls in the study said that almost everyone in their peer group has experienced some form of online abuse.

The findings suggest insults, mockery and harassment are commonplace in chats and comments. And that abuse is not confined to a single platform. It adapts depending on the specific technical features of each platform. From inappropriate content disguised as child-friendly on YouTube to harassment via direct messaging on Instagram - keeping users on guard all the time. 

One participant from Poland says: “A female friend writes, ‘I’m sorry, I’m underage, please don’t write to me’, and a man of 50+ writes back, ‘it’s okay, I don’t mind’.”