Social media have become a key tool for socialization among younger generations, playing a central role in how they build and maintain personal relationships. But do these platforms also contribute to widening gender gaps and stereotypes among girls and boys, teenagers, and young people?

In an article for Telos magazine, published by Fundación Telefónica, GenTIC director Milagros Sáinz explores this question. Milagros Sáinz highlights the empowering potential of social media for women, noting how these platforms have amplified voices, fostered solidarity among women, and provided a space to publicly denounce discrimination and abuse. At the same time, she reflects on the darker side of social media use and its impacts on the reinforcement of sexist stereotypes, the spread of misogynistic and anti-feminist discourse, and the rise of cyberbullying. Milagros Sáinz also examines how early exposure to social media can shape young people’s perceptions of romantic and sexual relationships.

Finally, the director of GenTIC emphasizes the urgent need to work with children and adolescents to promote a critical, responsible, and ethical use of digital tools and social media platforms, and stresses the need for an active involvement of families and educators in this effort.

Read the full open-access article here (p. 86), with illustrations by Nadia Hafid.

Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash.