Young women very affected by misinformation online: Study

Girls and young women suffer a lot from false information circulating online. They feel that it harms their health and inhibits their ambitions, concluded development organization Plan International.

Plan International, formerly Foster Parents Plan, asked 26,000 girls and women aged 15 to 24 about their experiences. The participants came from 26 countries, including 1,000 from the Netherlands. According to Plan International, stereotypes about the role of women confront this group online. And seeing women politicians attacked online "undermines girls' ability to see themselves as a group that should speak out and be heard," the organization said. "It also undermines their leadership ambitions."

Nine out of ten girls and women surveyed worry about misinformation, according to Plan International. Almost half of them become gloomy, tense, or sad. One in four girls feels insecure about sharing their opinion, and one in five stops talking to others about politics or news. About 20 percent of respondents feel physically unsafe because of false stories they encounter online.