UNESCO raises awareness on gender inequality online at BRIDGE

During the ‘Safe Digital Spaces and Powering Youth’s Rise in Global Media’ session at BRIDGE Summit 2025, UNESCO Chief Media and Information Literacy Head affirmed the United Nations organisation is focusing efforts on promoting information integrity as it is mandated to protect freedom of expression.

"One of the major problems young people are facing online is related to harassment and hate speech. Another is inequality as a lot of issues in the online world are gender related," highlighted Adeline Hulin, Chief of Unit, Media and Information Literacy, at UNESCO Paris. "One out of three women face online violence and harassment."  

Another pertinent issue UNESCO is tackling is the constant circulation of disinformation and misinformation online which the youth face today.

When asked how they research the veracity of information they share, statistics from ‘Behind the Screens’ global survey related to challenges faced by content creators across more than 50 countries found that 62 per cent of participants do not conduct any fact checking before sharing information online, according to Hulin. 

Media information Literacy is a crucial gamechanger which can help resolve this issue of disinformation and misinformation. Hulin believes it is absolutely crucial to train young people about information ecosystems.

"According to research, the missing link are actually the parents. They are supposed to guide the children in this environment, but they are not social media natives. So, it’s very difficult for them to put in place the system of prevention and parental controls."

Offering a solution, Hulin said, "Rather than police their children online, parents could focus on their own social media usage. Start with yourself. Question your personal behaviour and communicate with your children, so you know about what they are seeing online. Earlier families would watch news together, now children are doing this by themselves."

The talk was part of 300+ sessions conducted at the BRIDGE Summit, which concluded on Wednesday.