Trolling and Safety Fears Plague Many Young Women Online, UK Study Finds

A woman shows a screen of her smartphone in Abuja, Nigeria September 21, 2020. (Reuters)
A woman shows a screen of her smartphone in Abuja, Nigeria September 21, 2020. (Reuters)
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Trolling and Safety Fears Plague Many Young Women Online, UK Study Finds

A woman shows a screen of her smartphone in Abuja, Nigeria September 21, 2020. (Reuters)
A woman shows a screen of her smartphone in Abuja, Nigeria September 21, 2020. (Reuters)

Young women are more concerned about the mental health impact of being online than other internet users, with many citing personal safety fears and the harm caused by trolling, a study by Britain's media watchdog has found.

Regulators and activists across the world are increasingly calling on Big Tech companies to tackle hate speech on online platforms, a plea echoed by the head of Britain's Ofcom regulator as she unveiled the report on internet usage.

"The message from women who go online is loud and clear," Ofcom Chief Executive Melanie Dawes said in a statement on Wednesday.

"They are less confident about their personal online safety, and feel the negative effects of harmful content like trolling more deeply."

The report found that women aged 18-34 were more likely than any other group to report a negative overall impact on mental health, with 23% of them disagreeing that being online has a positive effect on their mental health.

In comparison, 45% of men over the age of 18 agreed with that statement, while boys aged 13-17 were most likely to agree with it.

Dawes urged large tech companies to take women's online safety concerns seriously.

The research, which was conducted last year and surveyed more than 6,000 people, found that 60% of female users who had experienced trolling said they were bothered or offended by it, compared to just 25% of men.

The study also found that women feel less able to have a voice and share opinions online.

The sites and apps most visited by adults were owned by Alphabet, the owner of Google and YouTube. That was followed by Meta, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, and Amazon.



Nintendo Offers New Switch 2 Details ahead of June 5 Launch

People stand in front of Nintendo's logo in Tokyo, Japan January 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo
People stand in front of Nintendo's logo in Tokyo, Japan January 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo
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Nintendo Offers New Switch 2 Details ahead of June 5 Launch

People stand in front of Nintendo's logo in Tokyo, Japan January 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo
People stand in front of Nintendo's logo in Tokyo, Japan January 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo

Nintendo has announced a June 5 launch date for its latest gaming console, the Switch 2, which will introduce interactive chat and screenshare functions to connect gamers.

At its 60-minute Nintendo Direct presentation, the company revealed a more vibrant display on the Switch 2, a larger screen and several games that will launch with the console.

Central to its updated system is a new “C” button on its Joy-Con controller, which will launch a new “GameChat” feature that allows you to “communicate with friends and family while playing a game,” and let you share your game screen with other players. A built-in microphone will also allow you to chat with other gamers, The AP reported.

Perhaps the most contemporary function yet for the Switch 2 is the ability to use the Joy-Con controllers like a computer mouse. The developer displayed multiple ways to use the new function in games, such as angling a club in a golf game.

Wednesday's presentation led off with an extended look at a new Mario Kart game that saw in-game characters doing flips, tricks and rail grinds. The developer also unveiled a new James Bond game, dubbed Project 007, revisiting a classic Nintendo 64 console hit revered by many first-person shooter game fans.

The new console will be backwards compatible — able to play physical and digital Switch games — but users will need to purchase a new type of SD memory card for the Switch 2. The presentation revealed that normal SD cards will not be compatible with the system, but data from the original Switch can be transferred to the new console.

Nintendo plans to host “Switch 2 Experience” events in several countries, where gamers can get a hands-on experience with the new system. Those events are planned for cities such as Los Angeles, New York, London and Paris beginning this month.