Girls are forced to block more online trolling than boys

NEARLY half of girls have blocked social media users to avoid online harassment, a poll of 1,002 secondary school boys and girls in the UK has found.

Forty-eight per cent of girls aged 11 to 18 had experienced harassment or abuse, such as receiving upsetting direct messages or having images shared without their consent on social media, compared with 40 per cent of boys.

In total, 73 per cent of girls had taken action: 43 per cent blocked someone, a third opted not to participate in a debate or conversation online and 13 per cent stopped using social media altogether.

Of the boys surveyed, 59 per cent said they had acted to avoid criticism on social media, the survey commissioned by the charity Plan International UK found.