Table of Contents
Published ahead of World Press Freedom Day 2026, and as part of the UN Women ACT to End Violence Against Women programme, funded by the European Union, Tipping Point: Online Violence Impacts, Manifestations and Redress in the AI Age is the second installment in the Tipping Point series. It examines how online violence is constraining women’s participation in public life in the AI age. Building on the landmark 2020 UNESCO-ICFJ study The Chilling, the report provides new comparative data documenting the worsening threats faced by women journalists online and their implications for press freedom and democratic participation.
Severe mental health impacts
The findings reveal significant mental health consequences associated with online violence targeting women journalists:
- 25% or one quarter of women journalists surveyed reported being diagnosed with or treated for anxiety and/or depression linked to online violence (out of a total of 351 respondents;
- 13% reported experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The report emphasizes that online violence produces lasting personal and professional harms, contributing to exclusion from public debate and journalism.
Escalating self-censorship and chilling effects
Online violence is increasingly restricting women journalists’ freedom of expression and participation. According to the survey:
- 45% of surveyed women journalists and media workers reported self-censoring on social media due to online violence. This echoes findings of [EA1] UNESCO’s World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development report, which documented a global increase in self-censorship of approximately 63% between 2012 and 2025.
- 22% reported self-censorship at work.
The report identifies a sharp increase in self-censorship compared to UNESCO’s 2020 findings. In 2020, 30% of 625 surveyed women journalists reported self-censoring in response to online violence. By 2025, that figure had risen to 45% — representing a 50% increase.
AI-enabled abuse and online harassment intensify
The report highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence in amplifying online violence against women journalists and media workers. According to the survey findings:
- 9% experienced the non-consensual sharing of personal or intimate images;
- 5% were targeted through deepfakes or manipulated images and videos;
- Nearly one-quarter of surveyed women journalists (24%) experienced unwanted sexual advances or cyberflashing through direct messages.
The report warns that AI-enabled forms of abuse — including “nudification” applications, manipulated sexual imagery and deepfake content — are creating new and increasingly invasive risks for women journalists and other women in public life. This is consistent with the World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development report, which notes that deepfake pornography accounts for approximately 98% of all deepfake videos online and that around 99% of individuals depicted are women.
More women journalists are seeking legal redress
The report also documents increasing efforts by women journalists to seek accountability and justice for online abuse:
- 22% of those surveyed reported incidents of online violence to the police;
- 14% initiated legal action against perpetrators, facilitators or employers.
Compared to 2020, women journalists surveyed in 2025 were more than twice as likely to report online violence to law enforcement, increasing from 11% to 22%.
The proportion of women journalists initiating legal action also rose significantly, from 8% in 2020 to 14% in 2025 amongst those surveyed.
However, the report highlights persistent barriers to justice, including reluctance from police to investigate online violence cases and victim-blaming responses from authorities.
Why this matters for press freedom
The report underscores how online violence has become a major threat to women journalists’ safety, mental health, professional participation and freedom of expression. Coordinated harassment campaigns, increasingly amplified through AI technologies, are contributing to psychological harm, professional withdrawal and reduced participation in journalism and democratic debate. These findings echo broader concerns raised in UNESCO’s World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development 2025 report, which documents a global rise in attacks against journalists, growing levels of self-censorship, and the increasing impact of digital threats on media freedom worldwide.
read more: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/new-global-report-reveals-growing-impact-online-violence-women-journalists?hub=701
