5 signals, 3 trends and 2 wild cards from the digital sport frontline

Around 1.5 to 1.8 billion children play online games worldwide. The esports industry is growing exponentially. But behind this growth, a crisis is deepening: gender-based violence (GBV) is moving from physical fields to digital arenas and often intensifying there.

Using our SF4Sport methodology, we focused on this thematic area together with Association for Justice and Rights in Sports (SAHADAYIZ). We scanned signals, compiled academic evidence from 22 peer-reviewed sources, and mapped EU policy frameworks. The picture that emerged is both alarming and a call to action.

Here are 5 signals, 3 trends and 2 wild cards likely to shape the future:

Signal 1 — Harassment Is Becoming "Normal" And the Numbers Prove It

In the US, 76% of adult gamers experienced online harassment in the past six months. Among young people, the rate is 75%. Even more concerning is the rise in identity-based harassment, which jumped from 29% to 37% in a single year. In an experimental study, harassment was detected in over half of gaming sessions played with usernames expressing religious or ethnic identity. Harassment is no longer an exception — it has become part of the gaming experience.

Signal 2 — Women Gamers Are Forced to Disappear

Around 70% of women gamers hide their gender. One in five quits gaming altogether due to harassment. In esports, women systematically face social exclusion, financial inequality and gender-based expectations. This is not a choice it is a survival strategy.

Signal 3 — Children Are Unprotected in Digital Spaces

According to UNICEF's 2025 report, criminal and violent organisations are using gaming platforms as tools to socialise children and draw them into violent environments. In VR and metaverse settings, young people experience hate speech, bullying, sexual harassment and grooming, with girls disproportionately affected. The vast majority of young users do not use safety features.

Signal 4 — The Education System Is Unprepared

A study of 238 teachers in Madrid found that the vast majority were unaware of GBV prevention tools in online gaming. Many teachers could not even identify which games their students play. In the US, over 250 universities run esports programmes, yet most have not assessed sexual harassment risks in the esports context.

Signal 5 — Regulatory Frameworks Don't Fit the Gaming Sector

The EU Digital Services Act (DSA) came into full effect in 2024, yet child protection guidelines largely focus on social media. There is no unified governing body for esports. Only 55% of gaming companies have voice chat moderation tools. Regulation is fragmented, enforcement is weak.

Trend 1 — Toxic Masculinity Is Being Reproduced Digitally

Esports environments create a unique space where traditional sport's hyper-masculine values merge with "geek masculinity." This culture produces a social order that excludes women, demeans non-conforming masculinities and legitimises violence. Research shows that sexist insults and hate speech in gaming platforms function as an "incubator" channelling everyday sexism towards violent extremism.

Trend 2 — GBV Is Expanding into Virtual Spaces

In VR and metaverse environments, the sense of "embodiment" dramatically amplifies the impact of GBV. In 2024, British police investigated a "virtual rape" case targeting a young girl in the metaverse, one of the first formal investigations to take sexual violence in VR seriously. As haptic technologies develop, virtual harassment may produce traumatic effects equivalent to physical abuse.

The Gap — Evidence-Based Programmes Haven't Gone Digital

Sport-based violence prevention initiatives were identified as having the strongest effect size in an umbrella review covering 16 meta-analyses. Programmes like Coaching Boys Into Men and Football Onside produce effective results in physical sport. But the critical gap is this: none of them have been systematically adapted to digital gaming or esports.

Wild Card 1 — What If AI Transforms Gaming Culture?

A wild card is a low-probability, high-impact event that could disrupt the entire landscape overnight.

AI technology capable of automatically detecting harassment in voice chat is under development. If this technology matures, it could fundamentally change harassment dynamics in gaming. However, privacy concerns, false positive rates and censorship fears will be serious points of debate.

Wild Card 2 — What If Esports Has Its #MeToo Moment?

A major sexual harassment or child abuse scandal going public in esports could bring the sector face to face with regulatory pressure overnight, much like the #MeToo movement transformed Hollywood. This could open both a risk and an opportunity window.

So What Now?

These signals and trends make one thing very clear: GBV prevention in digital sport environments is no longer "a topic for the future", it is an area requiring urgent action now.

Three priority areas emerge:

Priority 1 — Sport-based male engagement programmes need to go digital. Proven approaches like Coaching Boys Into Men and Football Onside should be adapted for online gaming and esports, with coaches, team captains and streamers positioned as prevention agents.

Priority 2 — Child protection mechanisms must be integrated into esports. Safeguarding standards that exist in physical sport, background checks, protection officers, systematic procedures, are largely absent from the esports sector.

Priority 3 — Esports leaders need GBV prevention training. Coaches, team captains, tournament organisers and content creators should be equipped with the knowledge and tools to recognise, prevent and respond to gender-based violence in digital environments.

This publication is based on findings from the "Safe Sport, Digital Spaces" study conducted by Sport Singularity together with Association for Justice and Rights in Sports (SAHADAYIZ). The study used the SF4Sport methodology, horizon scanning, policy alignment and evidence synthesis, drawing on 22 peer-reviewed sources (2020–2026) and mapping EU policy frameworks including the DSA, Erasmus+ Sport and BIK+.

March 2026