Young LGBTQ+ people are more than twice as likely to experience hate speech online compared with their heterosexual peers, a new report on internet usage has revealed.
Being online was also more likely to negatively impact minority groups more generally, according to the annual Digital Youth Index study.
Additionally, both LGBTQ+ people and those living with a mental health condition were said to face higher unease with their online lives than the average person.
The report concluded that more than two-thirds of young people (a group defined as those between the ages of eight and 25) had witnessed distressing content during their time online.