404 Help Not Found: Lived Experiences of Online Harms Survivors
SHE Calls for Urgent Whole-of-Society Action as Study on Survivors of Online Harms Reveals Gaps in Help-Seeking Channels
In SHE’s latest study, the experiences of survivors of online harms indicate critical gaps in responses and help-seeking channels—highlighting the need for urgent reforms, and public education for mindset change.
· SHE outlines recommendations based on insights from studies across three years.
· While Singapore leads in online safety, survivors who came forward in this study described persistent challenges in navigating support from tech platforms, legal systems and wider society. Their experiences show where real reform is needed.
SHE calls for policymakers, organisations, and individuals to join forces to enact comprehensive reforms and initiate enhanced public education on online safety and the need for respectful behaviour online.
CLICK HERE FOR A COPY OF THE STUDY
Singapore, 29 May 2025 – In its latest study, SHE (SG Her Empowerment) reveals the fallout survivors experience after online harm – and how limited support options and a culture of silence continue to leave them without meaningful recourse.
SHE’s report “404 Help Not Found: Lived Experiences of Online Harms Survivors” – the third in its series of studies on online harms since 2023 – shifts the focus from measuring the scale of online harm to understanding its deeper impact. It consists of in-depth interviews with survivors on their experiences with cyberbullying, image-based sexual abuse (IBSA), cancel campaigns, impersonation, sexual harassment and other harms. Insights were also gathered from the ongoing operations of SHECARES@SCWO, the dedicated support centre for survivors that SHE established in 2023.
The 2025 Study revealed four recurring fractures in how survivors experience harm and seek help:
1. The Deep Toll of Harm: Survivors described a loss of control after experiencing harm, with lasting psychological impacts — including panic attacks, anxiety and even suicidal ideation.
2. Limited Options, Unclear Path: Many struggled to be heard on platforms or found formal processes too intimidating — leaving them unsure where to turn or doubting whether they should have bothered acting at all.
3. Anonymity – The Roadblock to Accountability: When perpetrators hid behind anonymous accounts, survivors were often unable to confirm who was responsible — and left without a clear way to seek resolution.
4. Silenced by Blame and Normalisation: Survivors often blamed themselves, were blamed by others, or saw the harm as too common to report — especially in cases of sexual harassment.
SHE calls for a whole-of-society effort to build a more responsive and coordinated ecosystem—one that goes beyond holding tech platforms accountable. SHE hopes to see improved access to legal remedies, better survivor support, and enhanced coordination across frontline responder networks such as law enforcement, social service professionals, teachers and parents.
“Our cumulative research and experience running Singapore’s first dedicated support centre for online harm survivors over the past three years has made one thing clear: while Singapore is a leader in the online safety space, critical gaps remain,” said SHE Chairperson Stefanie Yuen Thio, who was recently appointed as Singapore’s alternate representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR). “Too many survivors are still left feeling traumatised and frustrated by a lack of agency.”
She added, “We hope the government’s new Online Safety Commission will address some of these urgent concerns—but no single agency or law can solve this alone. For real progress, we need a whole-of-society effort. That means each of us must rethink what we consider ‘normal’ online behaviour. If we don’t challenge these norms now, online harms won’t just be normalised—they’ll be entrenched.”
To that end, SHE is calling for four urgent reforms that reflect survivors’ lived experiences:
1. Restore agency to survivors through clear, accessible support options:
In our 2023 survey, three in four respondents agreed that online harms should be addressed swiftly without involving legal processes.
Survivors in our 2025 study described a profound loss of control and sense of being overwhelmed. They faced uncertainty around what to do after experiencing harm, particularly when legal action felt disproportionate or intimidating. Several survivors described wanting “in-between” options — support pathways that offer clear next steps and institutional recognition of harm, without requiring escalation to police or courts.
2. Require platforms to respond in a timely and transparent manner:
As part of SHE’s multi-year research initiative, newly released data from our 2023 survey shows that only one in four survivors who reported harms to online platforms were satisfied with their response.
Survivors in our 2025 study recounted receiving automated replies or no updates at all, even in cases of serious harm. Survivors called for responses that match the scale and rapid nature of online harms – more transparent processes, faster content removal, and visible consequences for repeat offenders.
3. Close loopholes allowing anonymity with bold policy moves:
In our 2023 survey, eight in ten respondents believed victims/survivors should be able to identify and hold perpetrators accountable, and eight in ten respondents agreed that online harms would decrease if users could be identified.
Survivors in our 2025 study shared how perpetrators used anonymous or throwaway accounts to target them repeatedly — with no clear way to trace or stop the harm. They called for stronger digital identity safeguards, especially for repeat or high-risk cases.
4. A whole-of-society response to online harms:
In our 2023 survey, one in five survivors said they felt “unaffected” by online harm — not because it wasn’t serious or traumatic, but because they felt society treated online harms as “normal”.
Survivors in our 2025 study stressed the importance of tackling this normalisation early - in schools, homes, and online spaces that youth frequent - to challenge harmful behaviours before they take root. Tackling normalisation requires a sustained, whole-of-society effort that defines what respectful digital conduct looks like and empowers all of us to uphold it. More than regulation alone, parents, educators, tech platforms, civil society, and peer groups each have a role in shaping what we accept, excuse, or challenge online.
A Ground-Up Movement for Digital Respect
“These four reforms cannot stand alone. To take root, they must be supported by sustained public education that shifts mindsets, clarifies what constitutes harm, and equips people to respond. This is especially critical for youth, whose earliest online experiences often shape what they see as acceptable or inevitable,” says Ms Stefanie Yuen Thio.
“SHE is therefore calling for a ground-up movement to educate and inform the public—especially youth—about the impact of online harms, their interplay with gender norms, and the need for respectful digital conduct. This should be a whole-of-society effort, including civil society, government, parent groups, etc.”
Prospective partners are urged to reach out to SHE at: contactus@she.org.sg