A new report from UN Women and partners finds that online violence targeting women in public life is becoming more technologically sophisticated and damaging in the AI era. The report, "Tipping Point: Online violence impacts, manifestations and redress in the AI age," is based on a 2025 survey of 641 participants from 119 countries.
Kalliopi Mingerou, who leads UN Women’s team working to end violence against women, said: "AI is making abuse easier and more damaging, and this is fueling the erosion of hard-won rights in a context marked by democratic backsliding and networked misogyny."
Twelve percent of women human rights defenders, activists, journalists and media workers reported non-consensual sharing of personal images, including intimate content. Six percent have been victims of deepfakes. One in three have received unsolicited sexual advances online.
The report documents a severe toll on mental health. Nearly a quarter of women journalists and media workers have been diagnosed with or treated for anxiety or depression. Almost 13 percent have been diagnosed with PTSD.
Forty-one percent of respondents said they self-censor on social media to avoid abuse, while 19 percent self-censor in their professional work. Among women journalists, 45 percent self-censor on social media, a 50 percent increase over 2020.
Women journalists were twice as likely to report online violence to police compared with 2020. Despite this, fewer than 40 percent of countries have laws protecting women from cyber harassment or cyberstalking.
Mingerou stressed: "Our responsibility is to ensure that systems, laws and platforms respond with the urgency this crisis demands."