GLAAD, the LGBTQ media advocacy organisation, gave failing grades to most major social media platforms for their handling of safety, privacy, and expression for the LGBTQ community online, as reported by The Hill. In the fourth annual Social Media Safety Index, GLAAD assessed hate, disinformation, anti-LGBTQ tropes, content suppression, AI, data protection, and the link between online hate and real-world harm.

Five of six leading social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, received failing grades for the third consecutive year. TikTok was the only platform not to receive an F, instead earning a D+ due to improvements in its Anti-Discrimination Ad Policy, which included preventing advertisers from wrongfully targeting or excluding users from content. Meanwhile, Threads received its first F since its launch in 2023, and Facebook and Instagram's ratings worsened from the previous year.

Why does it matter?

GLAAD uses this index to urge social media leaders to create safer environments for the LGBTQ community, noting a lack of enforcement of current policies in the digital sector and a clear link between online hate and increasing real-world violence and legislative attacks.