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LGBTQ people seen as needing more protection online than Christians

A study of around 9000 US adults has found that people are more in favour of removing toxic social media posts when they attack a member of the LGBTQ community than those targeting Christians or billionaires

By Chris Stokel-Walker

23 February 2024

Social media platforms take different approaches to moderation

Matt Cardy/Getty Images

The public appetite for moderating toxic speech on social media depends on the type of person being targeted, researchers have found, with billionaires being seen as in least need of protection.

Content moderation is a hot-button issue, with social media platforms taking drastically different approaches. Elon Musk bought Twitter, since renamed to X, in part because of his concern about over moderation infringing the right to free speech. Others feel platforms don’t do enough to protect users from hate and harm.

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