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.

When ignored, technology-enabled abuse in all forms will thrive and victims will suffer. We need to be talking about this and raising awareness. As the statistics below show, that time is now.

146%

Increase in digital abuse calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline from 2016 to 2018.

1 in 3

Number of undergraduate women experiencing cyberharassment.

59%

Percentage of teens who report being harassed or bullied online. This includes name calling, spreading false rumors, receiving explicit images they didn’t request, monitoring, physical threats and nonconsensual pornography. Today, a teen is more likely than not to experience one or more of these forms of online harm.

#1

The most targeted age group by cybercriminals are people ages 60 and above. This is Tech-Enabled Elder Abuse.

75%

Percentage of human trafficking victims who entered the life in 2004 or later that were advertised online.

2 in 5

The number of women who experience online sexual harassment.

1 in 12

The number of U.S. adults who experience nonconsensual pornography (aka revenge porn).

66%

Percentage of women who feel powerless when abused or harassed online.

96%

Percentage of deepfakes that are nonconsensual pornography targeting women without their consent.

46%

Percentage of Americans that admit to ‘stalking’ an ex or current partner online by checking in on them without their knowledge or consent.