When Digital Violence Affects Health: What is Happening to Women and Girls

Millions of women and girls experience digital violence, affecting their health and leading them to limit their public presence online. There is an urgent need to rethink the policies that regulate digital environments.

[This text was written by Eva Damkjær Thorsen (WGH Spain) and reviewed by Julia Pedreira and Silvia Gómez (ISGlobal).]

In September 2023, several teenage girls in Almendralejo (Badajoz) discovered that images of their naked bodies were being shared among classmates. They were not real photographs: they had been created and disseminated using artificial intelligence from images taken from their social media accounts, without their consent. Although the images were fake, the harm was immediate and real: fear, shame, anxiety, public humiliation, and serious consequences for their emotional well-being.

The case sparked a strong social reaction and opened a public debate about the risks of these technologies. But it also raises a deeper question: what happens when digital spaces become unsafe environments for the health, safety, and well-being of women and girls?

Digital environments as determinants of health

We have long known that health is shaped by factors that go beyond the healthcare sector. The social, economic, and environmental conditions in which we live shape our opportunities for well-being. Today, in deeply digitalised societies, digital environments are also part of this set of determinants.

However, not everyone inhabits these spaces under equal conditions. For many girls and women, participation in digital environments involves constant exposure to specific forms of violence that affect both their online experience and their lives offline.

For many girls and women, participation in digital environments involves constant exposure to specific forms of violence that affect both their online experience and their lives offline

Data show the scale of the phenomenon. According to the United Nations, millions of women and girls (between 16% and 58%) have experienced some form of digital violence. This wide range reflects both the diversity of abuse and its growing normalisation.

The consequences are not only emotional or temporary. We know that prolonged exposure to hostile environments can lead to chronic stress, anxiety, or social withdrawal. We see how many women modify their online behaviour, limit their public presence, or withdraw from debate spaces to avoid attacks. In this sense, digital violence not only affects specific individuals but also shapes who can fully participate in social life.

New forms of violence in the digital environment

When we speak about digital violence, we see that it does not follow a single pattern but manifests through multiple practices that intertwine and evolve alongside technological development.

Online harassment is one of its most visible expressions. UNESCO research indicates that three out of four women journalists have experienced some form of digital violence related to their work. Threats, insults, or coordinated campaigns affect their well-being and limit their public presence.

Algorithmic systems tend to prioritise content that generates interaction, often favouring polarising or aggressive messages

The generation of manipulated images without consent – as in the case of Almendralejo – transforms the nature of gender-based violence. Tools capable of creating sexualised content from a single photograph make it possible to violate people’s privacy with unprecedented ease.

At the same time, we see that the design of digital platforms can contribute to intensifying these phenomena. Algorithmic systems tend to prioritise content that generates interaction, often favouring polarising or aggressive messages. In this way, certain forms of violence are not only possible but can be structurally amplified, reinforcing pre-existing gender inequalities.

Social and health consequences

The reduction of women’s presence in public debates, professional spaces, or digital academic environments limits the diversity of voices and contributes to reproducing existing inequalities. Digital violence thus acts as a mechanism of exclusion that affects both individual health and the functioning of societies.

The reduction of women’s presence in public debates, professional spaces, or digital academic environments limits the diversity of voices and contributes to reproducing existing inequalities

Psychological well-being, social participation, and access to opportunities are fundamental components of collective health. Ignoring the impact of digital environments in these areas means overlooking an increasingly relevant determinant of public health.

Towards a collective response

Recognising digital violence as an emerging determinant of health requires us to rethink how digital environments are governed through public policy. Regulating platforms, protecting against the non-consensual use of images, and demanding accountability from technological actors are key preventive measures. For these responses to be effective, we also need to incorporate a gender perspective into the development and governance of digital spaces.

Regulating platforms, protecting against the non-consensual use of images, and demanding accountability from technological actors are key preventive measures

For us, understanding digital violence against women as a determinant of health does not artificially expand the concept of public health but rather acknowledges the changes accompanying the digital transformation of our societies. The challenge now is to develop responses capable of protecting well-being in a world increasingly mediated by technology and to ensure that women and girls can inhabit digital spaces freely and without fear.