Digital platform design, gendered power gaps and weak legal safeguards drive youth stalking risk worldwide
Original framing: “Young people are among the most at risk of stalking, but many don't recognize it” — Phys.org
Empirical studies link platform algorithmic recommendation engines to increased exposure to harassing content, while longitudinal data show higher stalking incidence among youth with limited digital literacy. Robust mixed‑methods research is needed to quantify these mechanisms and test interventions.
Stalking among young people is not merely a personal safety lapse but a symptom of a data‑driven surveillance ecosystem that privileges profit over privacy, reinforced by gendered power structures and weak legal safeguards.
Historical continuities from colonial informant networks to modern algorithmic profiling reveal that the same mechanisms of control persist, now amplified by AI. Indigenous stewardship models, cross‑cultural legal traditions, and artistic‑spiritual narratives offer alternative frameworks that prioritize relational consent and communal accountability. By integrating regulatory reform, transparent algorithmic design, inclusive digital literacy, and survivor‑centered community support, societies can dismantle the structural roots of stalking and build resilient, equitable digital habitats.