As the use of intimate images and videos to cause harm continues to evolve - it’s important that we do our best to stay current on the latest issues facing modern victims. But for busy professionals who work with youth, victims and their communities, that’s easier said than done!

As the use of intimate images and videos to cause harm continues to evolve - it’s important that we do our best to stay current on the latest issues facing modern victims. But for busy professionals who work with youth, victims and their communities, that’s easier said than done!

Unsolicited nudes have become a common and unwelcome part of online life for many women - let’s explore how we can change the conversation, and behaviors, to prevent this often harmful form of interaction.

If you’re unfamiliar, OnlyFans is a social media platform that is proving to be uniquely dangerous for content creators, while simultaneously becoming extremely popular. The latter may be an understatement. In 2020, it grew from 7.5 million to 90 million users and jumped from 120,000 content creators in 2019 to over 1 million in 2020.

Every funder is aware of how the pandemic impact has pushed everyone online. They, like everyone, are experiencing this new reality themselves. On some level, funders likely are already expecting grant seekers to address digital safety. If not, a section addressing online abuse will help an application stand out and educate the reader. Either way, it will highlight a commitment to stay current and address emerging critical needs among victims and students.

One thing I’ve learned from victims of online abuse is they are almost always targeted more than once. In fact, they often experience a pattern that can last for days, weeks, months or even years. To shorten this timeline, it’s critical to act quickly when the abuse starts.

Entering 2020, cyberstalking and online harassment were already an emerging crisis.

Then COVID-19 hit.

Potential victims - and those seeking to stalk them - flowed online in record numbers in the wake of stay-at-home quarantine measures. Much like the surge in reports of online child sexual abuse, the conditions are equally ideal for a rise in cyberstalking.

Online abuse was already occurring at historic levels before COVID-19. It’s about to get worse as more victims -- and those seeking to harm them -- gravitate online amid self-isolation measures. Italy has seen a 70% increase in internet traffic. Reddit is reporting traffic increases of up to 50%. Incidents of online abuse - gender based violence, stalking, bullying and elder abuse - will undoubtedly escalate in this crowded environment.

We are facing a digital public health crisis that receives far too little attention. People are being harmed online and via technology — often by someone they know — at historic rates. In an increasingly digital world, today’s victims are targeted where they spend their time — online and on their devices. This has enabled familiar forms of abuse — bullying, gender-based violence, stalking, elder abuse and human trafficking — to proliferate rapidly by going digital.

#1 The stats don’t lie. #2 This problem isn’t going away. In fact, it’s getting worse. #3 You don’t need to be an expert to engage with technologies being used to harm someone and make difference.

#1 The stats don’t lie. #2 This problem isn’t going away. In fact, it’s getting worse. #3 You don’t need to be an expert to engage with technologies being used to harm someone and make difference.