Younger internet users across the European Union were the most frequent recipients of hostile or degrading online content during 2025, according to a report from Eurostat.

Exposure to such content was notably more prevalent among younger cohorts and showed a clear decline as users aged, with the data highlighting significant variations in experience based on both age and gender.

Among internet users aged 25 to 34, some 54.0 per cent encountered such messages, closely followed by 53.7 per cent of those in the 16 to 24 age bracket.

This figure recedes to 46.4 per cent for the 35 to 44 age group, before continuing to drop progressively among older demographics.

The prevalence of these messages fell to 38.9 per cent for those aged 45 to 54, 32.8 per cent for the 55 to 64 category, and 28.1 per cent for individuals aged 65 to 74.

While the 25 to 34 age group recorded the highest overall share, researchers highlighted that younger people aged 16 to 24 remain particularly vulnerable to online hostility.

Within this 16 to 24 age group, 57.2 per cent of young women reported encountering hostile online messages, compared with 50.4 per cent of young men.

This pattern of higher exposure for women was consistent across all categories of hostile content identified in the study.

For both young men and young women, the most frequently reported hostile messages concerned political or social views and racial or ethnic origin.

Women reported slightly higher exposure in these areas, with 42.5 per cent of women encountering hostility regarding political or social views compared to 39.3 per cent of men.

Similarly, 38.2 per cent of women reported exposure to messages regarding racial or ethnic origin, while the figure for men stood at 35.6 per cent.

The research identified the most significant gender gaps in exposure when dealing with messages concerning sexual orientation, sex, and disability.

Young women reported exposure to hostility regarding sexual orientation at 37.8 per cent against 32.6 per cent for young men.

Concerning messages about sex, 30.9 per cent of young women were targeted compared with 24.9 per cent of young men.

In terms of disability, 23.0 per cent of young women reported encountering such content, whereas the figure for young men was 19.3 per cent.