Instagram Fails to Protect Female Politicians from Abuse, Study Reveals
In the first election cycle since Twitter’s demise, Instagram has become more crucial than ever for politicians. However, a new study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) reveals that Instagram is failing to protect female politicians from abuse on its platform. The study found that one in 25 comments on female politicians’ Instagram posts are “highly likely” to be toxic, and Instagram fails to act on 93 percent of reported abusive comments targeting female politicians.
Researchers at the CCDH selected 10 female incumbents from across the political spectrum running for office in 2024 and collected 560,000 comments on their Instagram posts dating from January to June 2024. They used Google’s Perspective AI tool to identify toxic text, which found over 20,000 “rude, disrespectful, or unreasonable comments.” A week later, 926 of the reported comments remained on the platform, including sexist and racist remarks, death and rape threats, and gendered abuse.
The CCDH is urging Instagram to transparently enforce its community guidelines and provide support for female politicians dealing with online abuse, as well as for lawmakers to hold social media companies accountable for the abuse on their platforms. The organization criticizes Instagram’s failure to act, which normalizes abuse and leads to repeat offenders. According to Callum Hood, the head of research at the CCDH, the lack of transparency in reporting comments is also a concern, as users are given very few details on why the platform took action on their reports.
“This sort of abuse can dissuade women from choosing politics and running again. While it doesn’t necessarily move elections, it does signal women’s place in political life,” said Imran Ahmed, the CEO and founder of the CCDH.
As social media becomes increasingly central to political discourse, it is crucial that platforms like Instagram take responsibility for protecting politicians from abuse and harassment. The CCDH urges lawmakers to take action to hold Instagram accountable and ensure that politicians can engage with their constituents safely and respectfully.
