GLAAD calls out social media platforms for inadequate LGBTQ safety measures

When it comes to ensuring the safety of LGBTQ individuals, social media platforms are falling short.

GLAAD, the world’s largest organization advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals, has released its fourth annual Social Media Safety Index, giving failing F grades to five out of the six major social media platforms.

YouTube, X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads all received an F grade for their lack of effort in promoting LGBTQ safety, privacy, and expression. It marks the third consecutive year that these platforms have received failing grades, while TikTok earned a D+.

The report urges companies to prioritize LGBTQ safety urgently, particularly in addressing the significant amount of anti-trans hate, harassment, and disinformation present on their platforms. All companies were found to fall short of basic standards for issues such as data privacy, moderation transparency, content moderator training, and workforce diversity.

“Leaders of social media companies are failing in their duty to create safe products,” stated GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “The industry is severely lacking in enforcing policies against anti-LGBTQ hate and disinformation. There is a clear connection between online harms and the surge in anti-LGBTQ legislative attacks, escalating real-world anti-LGBTQ violence, and threats of violence, for which social media platforms bear responsibility and must act quickly to address.”

The SMSI Platform Scorecard assesses 12 LGBTQ-specific indicators and evaluates the performance of each major platform.

Social media companies were found to have insufficient content moderation, harmful algorithms, and a lack of transparency, according to the report.

The report highlights that anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and disinformation on social media can lead to tangible harm in the offline world, and platforms largely fail to effectively mitigate dangerous anti-LGBTQ hate and disinformation.

The suppression of LGBTQ content by platforms was also noted in the report.

GLAAD recommends that social media platforms strengthen and enforce existing policies to protect LGBTQ individuals from hate, enhance moderation practices, increase transparency, cease violations of data privacy, and promote civil discourse.