One in ten comments on broadcaster RTL's Dutch Instagram posts are hateful or bullying

An average of one in ten comments under Instagram messages published by RTL channels are hateful. Especially the LGBTIQ community and people of color are targeted, RTL reported based on their own research.

The broadcast company used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to look at over 210,000 comments in the first six months of 2024 under posts from the Videoland, RTL Nieuws, RTL Boulevard, and RTL.nl accounts. It became clear that certain groups are targeted by online hatred more often.

People of color receive 1.5 times as much hatred as white people. The LGBTIQ community is hit the hardest, with 49 percent more hate-mongering comments per post compared to those who are not in a sexual or gender minority.

Notably, a small group is responsible for a large portion of the online hate-filled messages. One percent pulbished almost a third of the disparaging comments. The overwhelming majority of users who left a comment did not write in a hateful manner.

"At the start of the research, we felt that the problem of online hatred was serious, and yet we are still surprised by the high percentages," RTL director Sven Sauvé responded. "Our concern is that this hardening of society puts pressure on the representation of specific groups in our programs, which means there is a chance that they will literally disappear from view. Our goal is to create programs in which people can identify or in which they get a glimpse into the lives of others. That is the power of media, and we will do everything we can to ensure that mission and, therefore, the diversity in our programs."

RTL started a social media campaign on Monday to raise awareness of online hatred. Celebrities, including Humberto Tan, Nicolette Kluijver, Loiza Lamers, and Envy Peru, will discuss their experiences with hatred.

Monday also marked the start of an annual week to promote awareness of bullying and online harassment among students. Over 2,500 schools will participate in this year's program, which is organized under a theme asking children to take a moment and think about their remarks when chatting with others.

The impact of online and offline bullying and gossiping is great, according to the foundation Stichting School & Veiligheid. "This is also evident from the figures from De Kindertelefoon: approximately 60 times a week children contact De Kindertelefoon to talk about gossip and exclusion. Striking in these figures: boys (48 percent) and girls (52 percent) are almost equally affected by bullying involving gossip."

According to the foundation, gossip, lies and other nasty messages that are spread online cause many children to go to school with a "knot in their stomach," where the bullying will likely continue. What happens online is often an extension of what happens at school or in the classroom, according to the organization. It is difficult for schools to get a grip on what is done online outside of school hours.