Online Safety for LGBTQ+ Young People
Written for you. Staying safe online while you work out who you are, finding genuine community without being exploited, and knowing who to call when things are hard.
This page is written for you, not about you. Working out who you are — your sexuality, your gender, who you fancy, who you do not — is one of the most important things you will do, and the internet can be both the best part of that and the most dangerous. You may find community online before you find it in person. You may also meet people who want to take advantage of how much you need that connection. Both of those things can be true at once. This guide is honest about the risks and about the help that exists.
Why this matters
Being LGBTQ+ does not make you a target — bigoted people make you a target. Research from organisations like Galop and Stonewall consistently shows that LGBTQ+ young people experience more online harassment and are more likely to encounter adults online who try to manipulate them. The same research shows that finding a safe peer community is one of the strongest protective factors. The goal is not to stop you being online; it is to help you stay safer in the spaces that matter to you.
Quick wins
Save Switchboard (0800 0119 100), akt (020 7831 6562), Mermaids (0808 801 0400), and Galop (0800 999 5428) in your phone
Time: 5 minutes
Review the privacy settings on the accounts where you are out and the accounts where you are not — keep them separate
Time: 20 minutes
Turn off location sharing on apps that do not need it
Time: 10 minutes
Common challenges
Wanting to find community before you are out to family, school, or friends
Use platforms that let you have a separate account or anonymous identity if you are not ready to be out. Switchboard (0800 0119 100) offers confidential listening for LGBTQ+ young people including those who are not out. Mermaids (0808 801 0400) is specifically for trans and gender-questioning young people and their families.
Adults online who are interested in you 'because' you are LGBTQ+
Trust the feeling that something is off. An adult who is much older, who pushes the conversation to a private app quickly, who asks for photos, who tells you you are mature for your age, or who frames themselves as your only safe person — these are warning signs regardless of their gender or sexuality. Talk to akt (020 7831 6562) if home is not safe to discuss this, or Childline (0800 1111) at any time.
Facing homophobic, biphobic, or transphobic abuse online
Screenshot first, then block. Report on the platform and report to Galop (0800 999 5428), the national LGBT+ hate-crime helpline. You do not have to be 'completely out' to report abuse. If it is at school or from someone at school, you can tell a teacher you trust or a school counsellor; schools have a duty to act on it.