A public information campaign to help combat the harms of sexist
and misogynistic content online is being launched today (Monday
16 February) by the Scottish Government.
Aiming to encourage boys and young men to think before sharing or
interacting with harmful content, the campaign highlights the
hurt that misogynistic social media can cause to women and girls
– including those known to them – in real life.
First Minister said:
“Social media plays a significant role in most young people's
lives, and the rise of online misogyny means that young boys and
men are often seeing harmful, sexist content even when they have
not been searching for it. This is deeply concerning,
particularly given that so many of these young audiences may be
easily influenced.
“Our campaign is designed to make boys and young men aware of the
impact of sexist content on social media and how interacting with
that can harm the women and girls they know in the real world –
including their sisters, friends and classmates. By choosing not
to like, share or comment on sexist content online, boys and men
can help stop it spreading.
“Ensuring equality for women and girls, and protecting them from
harm, is central to building a fairer Scotland. Violence against
women and girls in all forms – including online – is completely
unacceptable, and the Scottish Government will continue to do
everything we can to eradicate it.”
White Ribbon Scotland Project Lead Rebekah MacLeod said:
“Everyone has a role to play in ending violence against women and
girls, but especially men and boys. There is often a disconnect
in understanding of how the content that young people consume and
share online, impacts upon how they see, speak to, and treat the
women and girls around them. In an online world shaped by
algorithms and increasingly divisive and dangerous narratives,
harmful attitudes can be normalised, reinforced, and rewarded at
speed and scale.
“We cannot emphasise just how important this campaign is.
This campaign empowers men and boys to understand that they play
a powerful role by choosing not to engage or share this harmful
content.”
Background
The campaign is set to run for five weeks across online channels
including Instagram, Snapchat, Twitch and YouTube, as well as
outdoor advertising. Alongside messaging aimed at young
people, the campaign includes messaging directed at an older
audience – primarily focused on parents to inform them about the
scale and impact of misogynistic content and support them to have
conversations with young people who may become caught up in it.
