Content Warning: This post discusses online harassment, sextortion, and gender-based violence.
November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women—a day to raise awareness of one of the most pervasive human rights violations in the world, and to take action to end it.
This year's campaign focuses on a threat that is growing fast and affecting young people in particular: the digital realm.
For girls and young women, online spaces are not always safe. And for those navigating mental health challenges, digital violence can deepen anxiety, isolation, and despair. This post explores what digital harm looks like for girls and young women in Canada, what the research tells us, and what parents, caregivers, and communities can do to protect them.
Digital Violence is Real Violence
The United Nations is clear: digital violence is real violence. Violence against women on online platforms is a serious and rapidly growing threat that seeks to silence the voices of many women—especially those with a strong public and digital presence.
It is a form of violence on the rise due to several factors:
Weak technological regulation
A lack of legal recognition of this type of aggression in some countries
The impunity of digital platforms
New and fast-evolving forms of abuse using AI
Movements opposing gender equality
The anonymity of perpetrators
Limited support for digital victims
These acts do not just happen online. They often lead to offline violence in real life—coercion, physical abuse, and even femicide. The harm can be long-lasting and affect survivors over a prolonged period of time.
The Reality for Women and Girls in Canada
The Canadian Women's Foundation's Challenging Gendered Digital Harm research report reveals a startling picture of what women and gender-diverse people in Canada are facing online.
Digital harm is widespread.
61% of women and gender-diverse people in Canada have faced gendered digital harm, compared to 53% of the general population.
Over 70% of these incidents have occurred in the last three years.
Some groups are targeted more than others.
Black, Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, youth (18-25), and people with disabilities are the most frequent targets.
Indigenous women often face harm due to their identity.
Black women experience harassment linked to race, gender, and skin tone.
Women and gender-diverse people with disabilities are twice as likely to have false information spread about them.
The types of harm are varied and harmful.
Harassment, hate speech, unwanted sexual images, stalking, and account hacking are the most common.
55% of perpetrators are men, and in 23% of cases, the survivor does not know the perpetrator's gender.
The Impact on Mental Health
Digital harm does not stay on the screen. It lives in the mind and body.
43% of survivors suffer serious mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
Youth (18-25) and underserved groups are twice as likely to contemplate or engage in self-harm or suicide because of digital harm.
This is staggering. For young women and girls already navigating mental health challenges, digital violence can be the tipping point. It can reinforce feelings of worthlessness, isolation, and hopelessness. And it can make them feel that there is nowhere safe—not even in their own homes.
Silencing and Disengagement
The impact of digital harm extends beyond mental health. It also affects girls' and women's ability to participate in online spaces—and in the world.
Over 50% of women and gender-diverse people reduce their online presence or self-censor to avoid harm.
Many leave platforms entirely, especially when discussing gender, race, or social justice topics.
This is a loss—not just for the individuals targeted, but for all of us. When girls and women are silenced online, we lose their voices, their perspectives, and their contributions to public conversation.
Sextortion: A Growing Threat for Youth
The Alberta RCMP has issued a warning about a specific form of digital harm that is targeting youth: sextortion.
Sextortion is a form of online blackmail in which someone threatens to share a sexual image or video of you unless you pay money or provide more intimate content. Offenders often pretend to be someone your age and manipulate victims into sending explicit media. They may use fake or incomplete social media profiles, quickly express strong feelings, or pressure victims to move conversations to private platforms where they can request intimate content.
If you are a victim of sextortion, the RCMP advises:
Stop all communications with the offender.
Do not comply with any threats and do not send money, images, or additional content.
Save evidence, including screenshots of messages, usernames, profiles, and any images involved.
Deactivate, but do not delete, your social media account.
Do not accept new friend requests after disengaging—this could be the offender using a new profile.
Reach out to a trusted adult, parent, guardian, Elder, or another support person.
Report the incident to Cybertip.ca, NeedHelpNow.ca, the platform where it occurred, and your local police service.
As Cst. Scott Sterling of the ALERT Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit says: "If you are a victim of sextortion or cyberbullying, remember that you are not at fault, and help is available."
Scenario: A Parent Responds to Digital Harm
The Situation: Maya is a 16-year-old girl who has been active on social media for years. She has a small following on Instagram where she posts about mental health advocacy and her love of art. One evening, she receives a message from an anonymous account: a photo of herself—taken from her public profile—with a threatening caption. The sender demands money or they will share it widely.
Maya is terrified. She cannot sleep. She feels ashamed, even though she has done nothing wrong. She considers deleting all her accounts and never going online again. She does not tell her parents because she is afraid they will blame her or take her phone away.
What Happens Next: A few days later, Maya's mom, Sarah, notices that Maya has been unusually quiet and withdrawn. She is not sleeping well. She has stopped posting. When Sarah gently asks what is going on, Maya breaks down and tells her.
What Sarah Does:
First, she stays calm. She says, "Thank you for telling me. I am so glad you did. This is not your fault. You are not in trouble."
Second, she does not panic or overreact. She does not take Maya's phone away—which would isolate her further. Instead, she says, "We are going to get through this together. Let's figure out the next step."
Third, she follows the RCMP's advice:
Maya stops all communication with the offender.
They save screenshots of the messages, the username, and the profile.
They deactivate—but do not delete—Maya's account.
They report the incident to Cybertip.ca and the platform.
They contact the local police.
Fourth, Sarah connects Maya with a counsellor who specializes in youth and online harm. Maya learns that her feelings are valid and that she is not alone.
The Outcome: The offender is never identified—but the images are never shared. Maya does not disappear from the internet. She eventually returns to social media, but with stronger privacy settings and a clearer sense of her boundaries. And she knows, deeply, that her mom is her ally, not her judge.
What Parents and Caregivers Can Do
Digital harm is real, but it is not inevitable. There are steps parents and caregivers can take to protect girls and young women online.
1. Start Conversations Early
Talk to girls about online safety before something happens. Ask questions like:
"What does it feel like when you're online?"
"Have you ever seen something that made you uncomfortable?"
"Do you know what to do if someone asks you for something private?"
Curiosity—not judgment—opens the door to honest conversation.
2. Teach Them to Recognize Red Flags
Help girls identify behaviours that are not okay:
Someone pressuring them to send photos or videos
Requests to move conversations to private platforms
Adults pretending to be their age
Harassment, threats, or hate speech
Anyone asking for money or personal information
3. Make a Safety Plan
If something goes wrong, girls need to know what to do. Help them create a plan:
Stop responding to the offender
Save evidence (screenshots, usernames, messages)
Do not delete accounts
Tell a trusted adult
Report to Cybertip.ca, NeedHelpNow.ca, the platform, and the police
4. Advocate for Stronger Protections
The research is clear: current recourses for digital harm are not working.
48% of women and gender-diverse people experience digital harm on social media, but reporting often leads to no action.
60% of racialized women and gender-diverse people believe law enforcement is ineffective.
71% feel social media should have stronger protections as public spaces.
We need change. That means calling on platforms to do better, advocating for stronger laws, and supporting organizations that are working to end digital violence.
5. Support Organizations Doing the Work
88% of gender equality organizations face digital threats, and 82% focus on gender-based violence. Yet more than 60% do not have the resources to address digital harm, and many have seen their employees or volunteers targeted.
These organizations need our support—through donations, advocacy, and amplification of their work.
6. Model Healthy Online Behaviour
Girls learn from watching the adults in their lives. Model what it looks like to set boundaries, to disengage from harmful spaces, and to take care of your own mental health online.
A Final Thought
Digital violence is real violence. And it is happening to girls and young women in Canada every day. But it does not have to be this way.
We can create a world where girls and young women feel safe and empowered to fully engage in online spaces without fear of being targeted because of their identities. We can hold platforms accountable. We can demand stronger laws. We can support survivors. And we can start conversations that help girls know they are not alone.
As the UN says: There is #NoExcuse for online abuse.
Today, and every day, let us stand together to end violence against women and girls—online and offline.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available 24/7:
Cybertip.ca — Report online child sexual exploitation anonymously
NeedHelpNow.ca — Get help removing pictures from the internet
Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 9-8-8
One Stop Talk: Connect directly with a mental health professional ( Monday to Friday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.) through online video, and voice. Go to onestoptalk.ca or call 1-855-416-8255.
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868
Lynwood Charlton Centre: Contact our Access and System Navigation team at 905-389-1361 for free, confidential mental health support for children, youth, and families in Hamilton
You are not alone.
RESOURCES
Alberta RCMP Information on youth cyberbullying and sextortion
Canadian Women’s Foundation Challenging Gendered Digital Harm Research Report
United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 25 November
