Adult Online Hate, Harassment and Abuse: A Rapid Evidence Assessment

Abstract

The development of email and social media platforms has changed the way in whichpeople interact with each other. The open sharing of personal data in public forums hasresulted in online harassment in its many forms becoming increasingly problematic. Thenumber of people having negative online experiences is increasing, with close to half ofadult internet users reporting having seen hateful content online in the past year.This report presents findings from a collaborative study undertaken by the University ofEast London (UEL) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Itdescribes the findings from a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) of the evidence basein relation to adult online safety undertaken on behalf of the Department for Digital,Culture, Media &amp; Sport (DCMS). The research was undertaken on behalf of the UKCouncil for Internet Safety Evidence Group. This REA focuses on exploring internetsafety issues amongst adults, given the expansion of the remit of the UK Council for ChildInternet Safety (UKCCIS) to include adults in the context of the new Internet SafetyStrategy (2018) and Online Harms White Paper (2019).<br/