Major social media platforms are under increasing scrutiny for failing to protect LGBTQ+ users from hate, harassment, and disinformation, according to the 2025 Social Media Safety Index unveiled by GLAAD. The report evaluates major platforms on 14 indicators specific to LGBTQ safety and signals an alert that existing protective measures are being eroded. Prominent platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X, formerly known as Twitter, were highlighted.
The report critiqued these platforms, mentioning platforms such as Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, YouTube, and X for rolling back policies in ways that allow anti-LGBTQ rhetoric to proliferate unchecked. This is documented to lead not just to online hate but also to offline harm. GLAAD warned that these actions come amid rollbacks on global LGBTQ rights, referencing systemic legislative attacks such as Hungary’s recent prohibition on LGBTQ public events and increased arrests in nations like Tunisia (JURIST), (Amnesty International).
TikTok, despite leading in the scores among social media platforms assessed, still lacks comprehensive user control over content and maintains opaque privacy policies. X was rated the lowest, primarily because of its heavy reliance on self-reporting and insufficient policy enforcement paired with scant workforce diversity disclosures.
The impact of weakened protocols is tangible. The report noted increases in the wrongful removal of legitimate LGBTQ content and ongoing issues like shadow-banning. GLAAD’s President Sarah Kate Ellis remarked, “Platforms are prioritizing engagement and controversy over safety, especially for trans and nonbinary communities,” noting the stark realities these vulnerable populations face online.
In a call to action, GLAAD urged these digital giants to prioritize user safety in actionable terms by reinstating and enhancing LGBTQ-specific safety protocols and ensuring transparency and accountability through independent audits. GLAAD continues to highlight that social media should foster community, not discrimination—a challenge for tech companies to reconcile profit motives with public safety responsibilities.