A new survey from Amnesty International UK has revealed that widespread online misogyny and the emergence of a toxic ‘bro’ culture is driving Gen Z to abandon social media platforms.

The polling, Toxic Tech: How Misogyny is Shaping Gen Z’s Online Experience, found that 70% of Gen Z believe misogynistic and divisive language has increased across online platforms, with 73% of social media users having witnessed misogynistic content at some point, and half encountering it every week.

Amnesty’s study, based on research conducted by Savanta from the testimony of 3,024 Gen Z respondents, discovered that less than half (49%) now feel that social media is a safe space, with 53% receiving inappropriate emojis on their posts and photos.

Added to that, 40% reported being subjected to unwanted sexually suggestive comments, 43% said they had been body-shamed, and 44% received unsolicited explicit images.

Worryingly, 27% also reported experiences of online stalking, while 32% said they had experienced illegal hate speech online.

According to the study, one Gen Z respondent said: “As a woman it’s something women experience everyday. 

“I no longer post on social media due to the constant hate and negativity. Even seeing the comments/hate directed towards somebody else is soul destroying.”

Amnesty’s research saw TikTok emerge as the worst offender, with 70% of respondents reporting misogynistic content – rising to 80% among women – followed by Instagram (61%), Twitter/X (37%), YouTube (31%), and Facebook (30%). 

Fuelling the problem is the rise in misogynistic language attributed to the statements and actions of political and social leaders, with 61% of Gen Z believing this rhetoric is contributing to online toxicity

While 58% of women identified Donald Trump as a major contributor, men most frequently named Andrew Tate (50%) as a key source of online misogyny, with 57% of Gen Z men reporting they’ve seen content from Musk, 55% from Trump, and 41% from Tate in the last month. 

Meanwhile, 47% blame statements and actions by tech leaders for worsening the problem, with 65% believing these tech leaders have a responsibility to combat online misogyny with concrete measures.

Among the actions Amnesty said Gen Z users are demanding from social media platforms are harsher penalties for offenders (39%), stronger reporting and blocking features (37%), better content moderation and quicker removal of misogynistic content (33%), along with tougher rules and consequences (30%).

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“This polling paints a deeply troubling picture of the digital world young people are forced to navigate,” said Chiara Capraro, Amnesty International UK’s gender justice programme director.

“Tech companies continue to prioritise profit over people’s safety and the result is a barrage of misogynistic content which deeply affects young people’s online experience. A toxic ‘bro’ culture is driving many young women away from social media altogether.

“Social media should be a space for creativity, expression, and connection—not a hostile environment rife with harassment and hate. It’s time for tech companies to step up and take responsibility for the safety of their users.”

Amnesty’s polling comes just days after the UK’s media regulator, Ofcom, began its enforcement of the Online Safety Act’s illegal content duties, which will force platforms to start implementing measures to remove illegal material quickly to reduce its chance of harm.

The Act is one facet of the UK Government’s crackdown on online sexual offending, which has also seen intimate image abuse made a priority offence, including the creation and sharing of explicit deepfakes on social media platforms.