British communications regulator and online safety watchdog, Ofcom, yesterday launched new industry guidance demanding that tech firms step up to deliver a safer online experience for millions of women and girls in the UK and exhorted them to take practical action against online misogynistic abuse, pile-ons stalking and intimate image abuse.

Ofcom has set out five-point plan to hold sites and apps to account on protecting women and girls online, a move that was hailed by Sport England and WSL Football that welcomed the guidance, calling for better protection for sports women on social media

Ofcom’s guidance, published yesterday, goes above and beyond what is needed to comply with the industry’s legal duties under the United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act, setting a new and ambitious standard for women’s and girls’ online safety.

The guidance, according to a statement from ofcom, was developed with insights from victims, survivors, safety experts, women’s advocacy groups and organisations working with men and boys. Its launch is also supported by Sport England as part of their wider ‘This Girl Can’ campaign and WSL Football to raise awareness of women’s safety when taking part in sport and exercise.

Ofcom has written to sites and apps setting an expectation that they start to take immediate action in line with the guidance. “We will also publish a future report to reveal how individual companies respond,” it said, adding the guidance makes it clear what is expected of online platforms to design and test their services with safety in mind, and improve reporting tools and support systems to better protect women and girls.

“As changes to the law are made, we will further strengthen our illegal harms industry Codes measures. We’re already consulting on measures requiring the use of hash-matching technology to detect intimate image abuse and our Codes will also be updated to reflect cyberflashing becoming a priority offence, next year,” the regulator said.

UK Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock said in a statement: “The level of abuse aimed at sportswomen on social media is horrific and evidence shows that women and girls experience unique risks online. Female sports stars have spoken out about the abuse they face while simply trying to perform at the top of their game.

“Our new Women’s Sport Taskforce was set up during the Women’s Rugby World Cup to help tackle exactly these kinds of issues and at its first meeting we heard from world experts about the specific challenges female athletes face. I’d like to join Ofcom and Sport England in urging tech companies to step up and stamp it out.”

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: “Tech companies have the ability and the technical tools to block and delete online misogyny. If they fail to act, they’re not just bystanders, they’re complicit in creating spaces where sexism festers and a society where abuse against women and girls becomes normalised.”