Insults on social media: Only half of the attacks are reported

How well do complaint mechanisms work?

Against the backdrop of the planned law against digital violence in Germany, a current study by the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt) of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities looks at insults on social media and existing complaints mechanisms.

The study examines insults that are clearly not permitted in the legal sense, referring to violations of personal rights, such as serious degradation, threats of physical violence or attacks on human dignity. According to current law, these cases must be deleted quickly and effectively. However, as the study shows, the reporting channels are often not utilised.

You can find the complete study here:

In June and July 2024, the market research institute Ipsos surveyed 5,000 people aged 18 and over living in Germany with internet access who use social media (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, X and/or LinkedIn) at least once a week on behalf of the bidt.

More insults in the analogue world than online

The results show that those affected continue to experience serious insults more frequently in the offline world than in the online world: While around 20 percent of those surveyed stated that they themselves had been insulted online in the last six months, over 35 percent experienced this in their direct environment.

Those particularly affected are people in the public eye. Even within this group, there is a clear difference between the online and offline worlds: over 80 percent of the politicians surveyed face insults online, while 84 percent experience them in the offline world. The difference is even more striking among influencers: just under 50 percent experience insults online, almost 70 percent offline. Of the respondents who appear as private individuals on social media, a relatively small group of 14 percent report experiencing insults, compared to 43 percent in the analogue world.

Only every second person affected reports insults on social media

However, insults are also commonplace online: just under 60 percent of users reported that they had seen someone else being insulted on social media in the last six months.

However, these cases often go unpunished, as the results show: Of those directly affected, almost 46 percent did not report the posts to either a government or private body (e.g. directly on the platform).

Lack of prospects and legal uncertainty are the main reasons

A lack of knowledge about reporting channels, a lack of interest and a feeling of hopelessness are key reasons why those affected refrain from reporting. Overall, more than one in two people doubt that they will receive help, both on platforms (57 percent) and from government agencies (62 percent).

Another reason for not registering is legal uncertainty for over a third of users. The level of knowledge about platform regulation is also relatively low. Not even a quarter of respondents (24 percent) have heard of the European Digital Services Act (DSA), which provides for reporting channels for illegal content on platforms across Europe, among other things.

Lack of trust in state institutions

A general lack of trust in state institutions could also play a role. Only in the police are more than half of respondents (54 percent) very or extremely confident. Trust in the federal parliament for example, is only at 30 percent, and less than half trust the public prosecutor’s office (48 percent) and the national courts (46 percent).

In order to promote trust in law enforcement, this trust in state institutions needs to be strengthened. The study also concludes that simple, transparent reporting channels should be publicised, general knowledge about them should be communicated and the means of legal prosecution should be improved.

Background information

The study is part of an interdisciplinary bidt research project:

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