Sittings · Document
DRAFT OPINION (2025/2081(INI)) 2025-10-21
On the impact of social media and the online environment on young people
Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality · Rapporteur: Anna Strolenberg
AMENDMENTS
The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality submits the following to the Committee on Culture and Education, as the committee responsible :
Amendment 1
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to the UN International Convention of 21 December 1965 on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, |
Or. en
Amendment 2
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to the UN Convention of 18 December 1979 on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and its general recommendations, |
Or. en
Amendment 3
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to the UN Convention of 13 December 2006 on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, |
Or. en
Amendment 4
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to Articles 2 and 3 of the Treaty on European Union, |
Or. en
Amendment 5
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the Charter), | – having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the Charter), and in particular Articles 1, 21, 23 and 24 thereof, |
Or. en
Amendment 6
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to Directive (EU) 2024/1385 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 on combating violence against women and domestic violence1a, | |
| _________________ | |
| 1a OJ L, 2024/1385, 24.5.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1385/oj. |
Or. en
Amendment 7
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| Ca. whereas girls and women are more likely to experience sexual and gender-based abuse on social media, including image-based sexual abuse; whereas 52 % of young women and girls have experienced online abuse, and whereas 68 % of this abuse has taken place on social media platforms; |
Or. en
Amendment 8
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| Cb. whereas young women and girls are more likely than boys and men to struggle with negative body image and eating disorders in connection with their social media use1a; whereas 85 % of young women and girls who have experienced harassment online experience multiple types of harassment, including body shaming and abusive and insulting language1b; | |
| _________________ | |
| 1a Policy Department for Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs,‘The impact of the use of social media on women and girls’, 2023, p. 9, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2023/743341/IPOL_STU(2023)743341_EN.pdf. | |
| 1b UN Population Fund, ‘Technology facilitated Gender-based Violence – Making all spaces safe’, 2021, p. 22, https://www.unfpa.org/publications/technology-facilitated-gender-based-violence-making-all-spaces-safe. |
Or. en
Amendment 9
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| Ea. whereas the impact of social media on mental health is gendered; whereas girls and children from marginalised groups are more likely to experience body dissatisfaction, harassment and cyberbullying as a result of social media use; whereas such harm can exacerbate current social inequalities and require intersectional responses; |
Or. en
Amendment 10
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| Fa. whereas young people, particularly boys, are increasingly exposed – through algorithmic recommendations – to online influencers and communities promoting misogynistic content, which can reinforce harmful stereotypes and polarisation; |
Or. en
Amendment 11
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| Fb. whereas 73 % of ‘Gen Z’ social media users have witnessed misogynistic content online, and less than half of these users feel that social media is a safe space1a; | |
| _________________ | |
| 1a Amnesty International, ‘Toxic Tech: New polling exposes widespread online misogyny driving Gen Z away from social media – How Misogyny is Shaping Gen Z’s Online Experience’, 2025, https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/toxic-tech-new-polling-exposes-widespread-online-misogyny-driving-gen-z-away-social. |
Or. en
Amendment 12
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| G. whereas cyberbullying affects a significant portion of young people; | G. whereas cyberbullying affects a significant portion of young people, with girls, LGBTIQ+ children, and children from marginalised backgrounds being disproportionately targeted; whereas algorithmic amplification of hateful and misogynistic content can contribute to the normalisation of such behaviour both online and offline; |
Or. en
Amendment 13
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| Ga. whereas young women and girls with intersectional identities face disproportionate levels of attacks and discrimination, often in forms that combine sexist, racist and homophobic language; whereas young women and adolescents who are racialised, have a disability and identify as LGBTIQ+ are disproportionately targeted by this type of abuse1a; | |
| _________________ | |
| 1a Plan International, ‘Free to be online? Girls’ and young women’s experiences of online harassment’, 2020, https://plan-international.org/uploads/2023/06/SOTWGR2020-CommsReport-edition2023-EN.pdf. |
Or. en
Amendment 14
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| I. whereas the current EU legal framework, including the General Data Protection Regulation, the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Artificial Intelligence Act, provides a solid foundation for protecting children online, though persistent gaps remain in consistent enforcement; | I. whereas the current EU legal framework, including the General Data Protection Regulation, the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), the Digital Services Act (DSA), the Artificial Intelligence Act and the Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence, provides a solid foundation for protecting children online, though persistent gaps remain in consistent enforcement; |
Or. en
Amendment 15
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 1. Stresses that addressing the impact of social media on young people requires a unified strategy combining safety-by-design, algorithmic transparency, privacy-first age assurance, digital literacy, participatory governance and evidence-based evaluation to ensure equal protection and empowerment for all; | 1. Stresses that addressing the impact of social media on young people requires a unified strategy combining safety-by-design, algorithmic transparency, privacy-first age assurance, digital literacy, participatory governance, gender-responsive online safety and evidence-based evaluation to ensure equal protection and empowerment for all; |
Or. en
Amendment 16
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 2. Stresses the need to ensure consistency across key EU legal instruments, such as the General Data Protection Regulation, the AVMSD, the DSA and the Artificial Intelligence Act, and the forthcoming Digital Fairness Act, to build a unified framework for protecting children online; | 2. Stresses the need to ensure consistency across key EU legal instruments, such as the General Data Protection Regulation, the AVMSD, the DSA, the Artificial Intelligence Act and the Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence, and the forthcoming Digital Fairness Act, to build a unified framework for protecting children online; |
Or. en
Amendment 17
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 6a. Stresses that artificial intelligence is developed without gender-responsive safeguards and amplifies existing gender biases, shaping harmful narratives about girls and women and creating new gender-specific threats, such as deepfakes which enable image-based abuse and online harassment that disproportionately target girls; |
Or. en
Amendment 18
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 8. Recalls that tackling online sexual abuse and exploitation is essential to addressing the impact of social media on young people; stresses the importance of reinforcing the legal framework and recognises the recast of Directive 2011/93/EU10 as a key measure for strengthening child protection online; | 8. Recalls that tackling online sexual abuse and exploitation is essential to addressing the impact of social media on young people and combating online gender-based violence; stresses the importance of reinforcing the legal framework and recognises the recast of Directive 2011/93/EU10 as a key measure for strengthening child protection online; |
| _________________ | _________________ |
| 10 Directive 2011/93/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA (OJ L 335, 17.12.2011, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2011/93/oj). | 10 Directive 2011/93/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA (OJ L 335, 17.12.2011, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2011/93/oj). |
Or. en
Amendment 19
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 11. Urges online platforms to take greater responsibility for protecting minors from harmful or manipulative content, by ensuring proactive moderation, default safety measures and algorithmic adjustments to prevent exposure to addictive or deceitful content; | 11. Urges online platforms to take responsibility for protecting minors from harmful or manipulative content, by ensuring proactive moderation, default safety measures and algorithmic adjustments to prevent exposure to addictive or deceitful content; |
Or. en
Amendment 20
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 11a. Stresses that platforms should be held accountable for systemic designs and recommendation mechanisms that contribute to online harm; |
Or. en
Amendment 21
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 11b. Notes that the enforcement of EU digital legislation should be gender-sensitive and ensure that reporting and redress mechanisms are accessible to all, including children facing multiple forms of discrimination; |
Or. en
Amendment 22
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 12a. Notes that special attention should be paid to the disproportionate impact of cyberbullying and online harassment on girls, LGBTIQ+ young people, children with disabilities and those from vulnerable backgrounds, ensuring the availability of effective prevention and response tools tailored to their needs; |
Or. en
Amendment 23
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 12b. Emphasises the importance of recognising the harm caused by cyberbullying and online harassment; calls on the Member States to ensure that victims of cyberviolence receive comprehensive psychological and legal support, including accessible counselling services, helplines and legal aid tailored to the specific needs of victims of online abuse, in accordance with their obligations under Directive 2024/1385; |
Or. en
Amendment 24
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 13a. Highlights that politically active young women and girls experience higher rates of online gender-based and sexual abuse and harassment than their male counterparts; underlines that, due to subsequent self-censorship and the ‘chilling effect’, attacks on female journalists and politicians exert a negative impact on the civic participation of young women and girls; |
Or. en
Amendment 25
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 13 b. Stresses the need for increased digital awareness and intervention as the rise of harmful online phenomena, such as the manosphere, continues to shape discriminatory gender norms, foster radicalisation and undermine efforts towards maintaining gender equality; |
Or. en
Amendment 26
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 15. Warns that algorithmic biases and intense content personalisation increase the risk of youth radicalisation and polarisation; | 15. Warns that algorithmic biases and intense content personalisation increase the risk of youth radicalisation and polarisation; stresses the need to recognise how online gender biases contribute to a digital environment that normalises discrimination and inequality; |
Or. en
Amendment 27
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 17. Highlights that girls and young women are more exposed to social media harms, including body image pressure, harassment, and misogynistic content; stresses the need for gender-sensitive digital safeguards to ensure safe, inclusive and empowering online environments for all young users; | 17. Highlights that girls and young women are more exposed to social media harms, including body image pressure, harassment, and misogynistic content; stresses that gender-based online violence, including sextortion, hate speech, stalking, image-based sexual abuse, grooming and non-consensual sharing of intimate material, must be addressed as a priority; underlines the need for gender-sensitive digital safeguards to ensure safe, inclusive and empowering online environments for all young users; |
Or. en
Amendment 28
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 17a. Warns that the spread of misogynistic narratives online contributes to the normalisation of gender-based violence; calls on platforms to prevent the promotion and monetisation of such content and to ensure responsible moderation that protects users; |
Or. en
Amendment 29
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 17b. Stresses that online harm, such as harassment, exclusion and disinformation, has a tangible effect on young people’s lives, social relationships, safety and participation in public life; calls for an integrated approach linking digital regulation with education and equality strategies; |
Or. en
Amendment 30
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 17c. Stresses that online gaming environments and influencer cultures should also be addressed in online safety policies; calls for specific initiatives to raise awareness and promote equality, including gender equality and respect in these spaces; |
Or. en
Amendment 31
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 18a. Calls on the Member States to review their educational curricula to ensure that all children receive a relatable, evidence-based education on social media literacy, digital literacy – including digital consent and digital ethics – image-based sexual abuse, online gender-based violence and gender norms, and comprehensive, age-appropriate sexuality education that addresses, in particular, the central role of consent in relationships; |
Or. en
Amendment 32
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 18b. Calls for school curricula to include critical education on algorithms and how they can radicalise or amplify harmful ideologies, such as content that promotes extremist ideas and misogyny, to strengthen resilience against disinformation, online manipulation and harmful gender stereotypes; |
Or. en
Amendment 33
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 19a. Calls on the Commission to pay particular attention to the ways in which algorithms may reproduce and amplify sexist or degrading content, by imposing greater transparency and isolating AI-generated data by gender in order to identify patterns of discrimination; |
Or. en
Amendment 34
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 19b. Calls on the Commission to conduct a gender-based, harm-focused review of the Digital Services Act to ensure that social media companies are complying with their obligations in relation to access to data and algorithmic transparency; |
Or. en
Amendment 35
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 19b. Calls on the Member States to ensure that, within their systems for the collection, development and dissemination of statistics on violence against women and domestic violence, specific categories encompassing gender-based cyberviolence are included; |
Or. en
Amendment 36
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 19c. Underlines the importance of collecting data disaggregated by gender and age, and, where possible, by gender identity, racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, sex characteristics and disability; |
Or. en
Amendment 37
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 19d. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to improve data collection on online harm by using gender-sensitive indicators in order to ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of the gender dimension of social media’s impact on young people; |
Or. en
Amendment 38
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 e (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 19e. Calls on the Commission to consider strengthening the regulation of social media advertising, including by expanding the Digital Services Act to include gender as a factor in restricting targeted advertising; |
Or. en
ANNEX: DECLARATION OF INPUT
ENTITIES OR PERSONS FROM WHOM THE RAPPORTEUR HAS RECEIVED INPUT
The rapporteur declares under his exclusive responsibility that he did not receive input from any entity or person to be mentioned in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.