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The Girls are Online: Protecting Women and Girls Beyond Legal Frameworks

avatar Marissa Edmund, Motunrayo Fatoke (Mo)   May 19, 2026
harms paper

Recent legislation like the TAKE IT DOWN Act has finally created a federal US framework to address the growing concern of technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Yet, even when laws exist, the proliferation of online harm towards women and girls is abundant. This brief discusses three distinct ways young women and girls are harmed online and outlines nonlegislative approaches to prevent violence before it starts.

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Marissa Edmund

Marissa Edmund

Marissa Edmund is the State Policy Lead at the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), working with the policy team to monitor emerging issues in tech policy and contribute her policy and research expertise to ensure the online world is safer for children and families.
Motunrayo Fatoke (Mo) 

Motunrayo Fatoke (Mo) 

Motunrayo Fatoke (Mo) is a Policy Intern at the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), supporting the Policy team’s work to advance child-centered online safety and digital wellbeing. Her work focuses on researching and tracking online safety legislation, supporting policy analysis, and contributing to stakeholder engagement that informs evidence-based solutions for protecting children online.