Nearly half of internet users across the European Union reported encountering hostile messages online in 2025, highlighting a persistent struggle to maintain civil discourse in the digital sphere. According to recent data, 42.3% of users in 20 EU countries encountered content they considered hostile and degrading toward specific individuals or groups.
The prevalence of hostile messages online in 2025 underscores a complex landscape where digital connectivity often clashes with social polarization. While the aggregate figure provides a broad overview, the experience varies significantly by member state, reflecting deep-seated regional tensions and differing levels of online moderation effectiveness.
The data indicates that the encounter rate is not uniform across the bloc. In seven EU countries, more than half of the population reported seeing degrading content, suggesting that online toxicity is more deeply embedded in certain national digital ecosystems than others.
Regional disparities in online toxicity
The highest concentrations of hostile content were recorded in Hungary, where 60.9% of users reported encountering such messages. Finland and Slovakia followed closely, with encounter rates of 56.7% and 56.2%, respectively. These figures suggest that in these regions, a majority of the online population is exposed to content that targets specific groups or individuals.
Conversely, some member states reported significantly lower rates of exposure. Latvia recorded the lowest share at 29.3%, followed by Greece at 29.4%. Germany and Lithuania also remained on the lower end of the spectrum, with 33.7% and 33.8% of users reporting encounters with hostile messages.
| Country | Encounter Rate (%) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Hungary | 60.9% | Highest |
| Finland | 56.7% | High |
| Slovakia | 56.2% | High |
| Germany | 33.7% | Low |
| Greece | 29.4% | Low |
| Latvia | 29.3% | Lowest |
Identifying the primary targets of digital hate
The nature of the hostility varies, but political and social views remain the primary catalyst for degrading content. Approximately 33.7% of users reported seeing messages targeting people based on their political or social beliefs, making it the most common form of online hostility encountered in the region.
Beyond political friction, racial and ethnic origin were significant targets, cited by 25.5% of respondents. Sexual orientation and religion or belief also featured prominently, with 23.4% and 22.8% of users reporting exposure to hostile messages targeting these characteristics.
Other demographics, while less frequently targeted, still face measurable levels of online aggression. The data shows that 16.9% of users saw hostile messages based on sex, 11.5% based on disability, and 8.8% based on age. An additional 8.5% of encounters involved other personal characteristics.
The impact of regulatory frameworks
These figures emerge as the European Union continues to implement the Digital Services Act (DSA), a landmark regulatory framework designed to hold very large online platforms (VLOPs) accountable for the content they host. The DSA mandates more transparent moderation processes and requires platforms to mitigate systemic risks, including the spread of hate speech and illegal content.
The disparity between countries like Hungary and Latvia suggests that national social dynamics may often outweigh the standardized moderation policies of global tech giants. While the Eurostat datasets provide a quantitative look at the problem, the qualitative impact—ranging from the “chilling effect” on free speech to the psychological toll on targeted minorities—remains a primary concern for human rights advocates.
Digital hate speech trends often mirror offline societal divisions. The high rates of political targeting suggest that the internet is frequently used as a conduit for existing national polarizations, rather than being the sole cause of them. This creates a challenging environment for moderators who must balance the removal of “hostile and degrading” content with the protection of legitimate political expression.
Addressing the systemic challenge
The persistence of these figures suggests that technical solutions, such as AI-driven moderation, have not yet fully neutralized the spread of online toxicity. The nuance of language, sarcasm, and cultural context continues to pose a hurdle for automated systems, often leaving a gap that is filled by targeted harassment.
Experts in internet safety emphasize that reducing these numbers requires a combination of strict platform enforcement, legislative pressure, and digital literacy programs that encourage users to report hostile content rather than engage with it.
The European Union is expected to conduct further audits of platform compliance under the DSA throughout the remainder of the year. The next major checkpoint will be the release of the annual transparency reports from the European Commission, which will detail how effectively platforms have reduced the prevalence of illegal hate speech across member states.
We invite you to share your experiences with online moderation and join the conversation in the comments below.
