What You Need to Know About Protecting Yourself from Online Sexual Harassment
Online sexual harassment is becoming one of the most frequent kinds of harassment. Here’s how to protect yourself from online sexual harassment.
An increase in focus on eliminating online sexual harassment has grown over the past decade and many consider it a more harmful threat than physical sexual harassment. Around 41% of Americans have personally experienced some form of online harassment and 55% describe it to have a major negative impact.
Defining Online Sexual Harassment
Online harassment typically refers to actions that impose danger or create a threatening environment through mediums that are not physical. Six of the most commonly seen distinct behaviors are:
- Name-calling
- Purposeful embarrassment
- Stalking
- Physical threats
- Harassment over a sustained period of time
- Sexual harassment
Online sexual harassment is one of the six main types of online harassment. Some examples of online sexual harassment are:
- Sexually inappropriate remarks
- Non-consensual sharing of pornographic content/revenge porn
- Online stalking
- Discriminatory and hateful comments based on sex
- Online sexual coercion and threats
- Body shaming and sexualization
Related: Is Flirting At Work Sexual Harassment?
Where Exactly is “Online”?
The majority of online sexual harassment cases occurred on social media platforms. More specific research has found that 25% take place on online forums and discussion sites, 24% on texting apps, 16% on online gaming platforms, 11% on personal email accounts, and 10 percent on dating apps.
Overall, 55% of individuals who have experienced online sexual harassment would say that the harassment happened at a single location/medium.
Targets of Online Sexual Harassment
Women are about three times as likely as men to face sexual harassment online and younger women are at an especially higher risk. However, men are more likely than women to face online harassment in general, mainly while gaming or when using online discussion sites or forums.
Age-wise, adults under the age of 30 encounters online sexual harassment the most while teens have also been increasingly reporting exposure to sexual harassment behaviors online. 25% of teens in the U.S. have involuntarily received explicit images while browsing the internet, 21% have faced constantly stalkerish behavior, and 7% have had their explicit images shared without their consent.
Related: Sexual Harassment in the Military: What You Need to Know
Are Victims of Online Sexual Harassment Protected by the Law?
Under California law, Californians who are stalked or harassed online could file a restraining order that may last up to 5 years. If someone is deemed guilty of cyberstalking, restraining orders may last up to 10 years.
According to California Penal Code, Section 647 (j) (4), it is illegal to distribute sexually intimate images of another person online. A violation of the Code, Cyber Exploitation, is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 5 months in the county jail, a fine of $1,000, or both. If the victim is a minor at the time of the offense, the crime would be a jail time of one year, a fine of up to $2,000, or both. As long as a crime is conducted through an “electronic communication device” it could be classified as online harassment in California. These may include devices such as:
- Internet site
- Telephones
- Cell phones
- Computers
- Online communicative apps
- Video recorders
- Fax machines
- Pagers
Protecting Yourself from Online Sexual Harassment
There are ways that one can try to limit the chances of exposure to online sexual harassment and actions that can be taken if it happens. These may include:
- Install firewall system/VPN on technological devices
- Report harassment behavior to the host of the website as soon as such behavior happens
- Use complex passwords for online credentials
- Maintain boundaries and be mindful of content shared on social media
- Make clear communication and confirm consent if the information is meant to be shared
- Ask for digital consent every time instead of assuming one response for every action
- Document proof if needed and report to legal authorities when necessary
Additionally, frequent users of the internet should be aware of the importance of eliminating online sexual harassment and be involved in building a safe online space as much as possible. Being cognizant of people’s experiences by being trauma-informed, taking into concern impacts of the same behaviors might have different impacts on different individuals, and allowing them the freedom to “not share everything”, also help create a more comfortable online community.
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If you or a loved one would like to learn more about How to Protect Yourself from Online Sexual Harassment, get your free consultation with one of our sexual harassment attorneys today!