[International Women’s Day] Building safer digital spaces for girls and young women

Digital spaces are where young people now live. It is where they consume content, share their opinions, talk about their lived experiences, and engage with the world.

The phone has become ubiquitous, an extension of their real lives and future aspirations and life without it cannot be imagined, for many of them. For girls and young women, the phone and the online world are a mixed bag - some of it is good, but most of it is yet another space where they are watched, trolled and judged.

Building a safe digital space for girls must fulfill some difficult conditions: It should be a space where she can be free to express herself; it must be a space where she feels safe to be herself; it should be a space that offers her equal opportunity and also it must be a space where she can exchange information knowing her privacy and confidentiality are not taken for granted, but safeguarded.

Building this kind of space requires that content and online platforms, tools, chat systems, websites, and social media all be designed with and for girls. Rather than assuming what girls need, design processes must invite them to interrogate early concepts. 

They must be able to challenge scripts and critique character arcs. When girls are involved early, they bring perspectives that adults often miss.

Language is an example. The way young girls and women talk and engage with one another is unique. They are comfortable mixing languages (“Hinglish” being an example), using words that only have meaning among themselves (a new shared code word), and they prefer a more conversational tone. In many focus groups and one-on-one conversations with girls, they expressed the need for a less “adult-like” and more “friendly” tone and style. They welcomed humour. Most importantly, they wanted stories that felt culturally familiar and emotionally real. Building safe spaces, in this context, begins with language that feels authentic.

Another reality is understanding how girls behave online.  A  girl does not always scroll freely. She shares her phone.  She lowers the volume when someone enters the room. She deletes her search history.  She switches tabs quickly. A girl navigating digital spaces constantly calculates risk. Who can see this? Will someone find out?

These everyday behaviours reflect the realities of digital access for many girls. Most girls and young women have shared devices, family surveillance and limited privacy. Designing safer digital spaces, therefore, begins by acknowledging these. Design responses that take these realities into consideration, for example, avoiding auto-play audio, embedding safeguarding prompts or exit pathways within digital interactions, can go a long way in keeping girls safe online.

Today, AI-enabled chat systems have become the go-to for advice and credible information. Young people are increasingly turning to  AI chats for advice. Not all questions they ask can be addressed by automated systems, nor should they be. Girls often ask questions about relationships. 

These are sensitive and deeply personal experiences. In many digital interactions with young audiences, a girl’s question is often a test: Is this space safe enough to trust?  

A scripted response is rarely “enough”. When a girl signals fear or confusion, she needs empathy and a human-in-the-loop. Counsellors, moderators, or trained responders must be part of the response mechanism.

Digital safety is also shaped by the stories that get normalised through popular culture and cinema. In discussions with young audiences about relationships and consent, many girls openly critique mainstream portrayals of masculinity in popular films such as Kabir Singh and Animal. 

These narratives reinstate regressive gender norms where girls' portrayals are shown as subservient, reinforcing patriarchy.  If digital spaces need to be safe,  these regressive portrayals must be challenged and changed. 

Stories that portray gender equality, consent, and respect can really change the way girls see their future relationships. The digital space, with its omnipresent content, can create alternative narratives in favour of a more equitable world.

It can also influence boys and young men, who see that dignity and respect for others, especially girls, are important and essential for relationships to work well and benefit both girls and boys. Digital content on platforms meant and designed for girls and young people must reflect this.

Also, digital literacy alone cannot protect girls. They cannot “behave their way” out of structural harm. Digital infrastructure needs to be safe “by design”. Platforms need to be accountable to girls and young women. 

Complaints and redressal mechanisms need transparency. From experience, most girls say that when they complain, there is no response. Many girls never gather the courage to speak up. They do not know what to do when facing online harm, and even if they do raise their voice, they fear it will be met with apathy and victim-blaming. Redressal seems a faraway dream. 

In summary, if girls and young women are to be safe online, the digital space must be designed to meet the challenges they face. The system must be built to help redress complaints and harms. Content must be designed to reflect new, more respectful realities. Pathways of care with humans can shape how girls experience the online world.

Every girl and young woman deserves a space that feels safe.

(Kavita Ayyagari is the Country Director for Girl Effect in India.)

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)