Juventas report: 18% of Montenegrin adults targeted by online attacks

A study by the non-governmental organization Juventas reveals that 18 percent of adult citizens in Montenegro have been targets of online attacks within the last year. These attacks are frequently motivated by political views, gender, appearance, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity.

According to the research, the most common platforms for these attacks are Facebook (49 percent), Instagram (44 percent), and TikTok (19 percent). While many incidents involve insulting comments and mockery, the study also highlights more severe forms of digital violence, such as sexualized comments, misogyny, homophobia, harassment, unauthorized sharing of private content, threats of violence, defamation, and false information.

The report notes a significant lack of response to harmful content, with 46 percent of citizens stating they do not react to offensive or dangerous material. Furthermore, only 3.6 percent of citizens have high confidence that social media platforms respond adequately to reports. Juventas calls for Montenegro to treat digital violence as a serious institutional challenge and recommends establishing a centralized online platform for reporting digital violence and hate speech.