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Women in Football CEO Yvonne Harrison and her counterpart at Women in Sport, Stephanie Hilborne OBE, have today welcomed new industry guidance from media watchdog Ofcom demanding that tech firms improve online safety for millions of women and girls in the UK.

Ofcom is urging tech firms to adopt a wide range of practical safety measures. The regulator's guidance includes a five-point action plan to drive change and hold tech firms to account in tackling online misogynistic abuse, pile-ons, stalking and intimate image abuse.

Yvonne Harrison said: “It is apt that Ofcom’s new guidance has been published on White Ribbon Day, which seeks to engage men annually in the prevention of gender-based violence. Just two months ago, WIF published its annual industry workforce survey findings, and the truth is that in 2025, the environment for women is still very bleak.

“The rise of online abuse of elite sportswomen is sadly not a new phenomenon, but as our survey highlighted, such experiences are now a daily reality for women employed across the industry. 76% of female respondents told us that the levels of discrimination they have witnessed online have increased or stayed the same, and this number increases to 81% for women from underrepresented ethnic origins.

“The recent decision by Liverpool Crown Court to pass a guilty verdict for six counts of sending grossly offensive social media posts to two female sports broadcasters was very welcome. We know that sadly, very few perpetrators of such harmful behaviour – which is devastatingly debilitating to its victims – are held to any kind of account.

“WIF will continue its call, dating back to 2021, to end all hate speech on social media. WIF was a co-signatory to a letter to the UK government and social media organisations in November 2022, asking for action to be taken by the social media companies to create an online experience free from exposure to racist, homophobic, misogynistic or other discriminatory abuse.

“WIF will continue to advocate for this, and stand willing to work alongside sporting organisations, broadcast partners, government, Ofcom and the technology organisations themselves. Representing our network of 12,000 members, we remain as committed as ever to challenging discrimination and lobbying for change to ensure that female users enjoy a safer, more enjoyable online experience.”

 

Inexcusable

Stephanie Hilborne said: “Women in Sport welcomes Ofcom’s clear recognition of the problem and its leadership in tackling this issue. Online misogyny continues to reinforce one of the deepest power imbalances in our society – and women in sport are among those most aggressively and persistently targeted. From athletes to leaders to the wider workforce, the levels of abuse directed at women are inexcusable and must no longer be dismissed as inevitable.

“But voluntary action alone will not fix this. Platforms must be held to mandatory standards if we are serious about making sport – and the online spaces around it – safe for women and girls.

“The real-world consequences of unchecked misogyny in sport can be catastrophic. Following the 2023 women’s football World Cup kiss scandal, 72% of girls told us that the incident had ‘opened their eyes to the way some women are treated in sport’.

“We know that misogyny affects women and girls throughout their lives, not just those in the public eye. Everyday sexism, online pile-ons, demeaning comments about girls’ bodies and the targeting of women working in sport all contribute to a culture that pushes girls out before they’ve even had a chance to thrive.

“As a long-standing research and advocacy charity, Women in Sport has spent four decades uncovering the barriers that hold women and girls back and campaigning for change. We have consistently shown how inequalities in sport mirror inequalities in wider society – and online abuse is now one of the most urgent barriers of all.”

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