CHILDREN as young as 13 are being exposed to normalised abuse and misogynistic content online, with a quarter of girls being called degrading names, research by Barnardo’s has found.

In a report out today, the charity warns that online abuse and harassment are “constant, corrosive and deeply embedded” for young people across Britain. 

Its publication follows a government consultation on a possible social media crackdown that ended yesterday. 

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he had tasked the government with putting together “a game-changer” policy to tackle social media harms affecting children, pledging action “very quickly” following the consultation.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the government would decide on its response before the end of the year.

The Barnardo’s research, which heard from thousands of 13 to 20-year-olds, found that 25 per cent had been called degrading names online and 59 per cent of boys said they believed they were expected to “act tough and not show emotion.” 

A quarter of all young people had seen a nude photo that had originally been sent privately and then shared, while around one in seven 13 to 15-year-olds had been asked to share a nude picture of themselves.

Nearly one in five girls also reported repeated messages after asking the sender to stop or ignoring them.

Over one in five boys said their friends would not back them if they called out sexist comments, while 57 per cent said people would think they were “boring” if they did not join in with the group’s “banter.”

Olly, age 18, said: “There is pressure to laugh it off or stay silent, even when it crosses a line. 
“Young men set the standard. Challenge it, shut it down and back those who speak up. That is how we change what is accepted.” 

Barnardo’s chief executive Lynn Perry said young people were reporting that misogyny can be harmful “on all sides, from humiliation and sexualised abuse to feelings of shame and isolation.

“This is not inevitable — it is learned and it can be challenged,” she said, calling on the government to make the Ofcom guidance for online services protecting women and girls into a mandatory code of practice for tech companies.