600 women’s health leaders warn social media platforms are censoring vital information
More than 600 women’s health leaders have warned that social media platforms are censoring medically accurate and “life-saving” women’s health information.
The letter warned that basic health advice was restricted due to the systematic censorship of posts about menstruation, fertility, menopause, postpartum recovery and sexual health.
Posts are often misclassified as “adult content” and removed or restricted by automated moderation systems despite being educational or medically accurate.
Medical doctor and broadcaster Dr. Aziza Sesay said: “Online censorship perpetuates the narrative that women’s and gynecological health are inappropriate and should remain taboo, further exacerbating the sense of shame surrounding these topics.
“I often say that women die of shame because they don’t speak up about their problems, and that the outcomes are worse when they file late. Shame and stigma cost lives.”
A. Survey conducted by CensHERship, A campaign to combat social media censorship of women’s health and sexual health content found that 95 percent of women’s health content creators experienced censorship in the past year.
Respondents cited rejected ad campaigns, removal of educational posts, reduced reach on social platforms, and a lack of transparent appeal processes.
More than half said they now self-censor their language to avoid being removed from social media platforms.
The warning comes as leading brands including Essity, Clue, Hertility, Daye and Mooncup have joined a newly formed coalition called the Women’s Health Visibility Alliance (WHVA), which has been formed to challenge what campaigners say is systemic bias in the way digital platforms moderate women’s health content.
“Women’s and reproductive health content is not a threat to anyone’s safety,” said Clio Wood, co-founder of CensHERship. “This is about accurate, life-saving health information being treated as obscene and women-led innovation being stifled on a massive scale.”
She added: “Our members are tired of self-censorship, of using euphemisms for ‘vagina’, of menopause and fertility being seen as taboo. Visibility is not a ‘nice to have’ thing. It is essential to public health, innovation and gender equality.”
The open letter also called on policymakers to “help bring platforms to the table” by ensuring “digital regulation addresses gender bias and considers the public health and economic cost of this issue.”
Deirdre O’Neill, Hertility’s chief commercial and legal officer, said: “Hertility has conducted more than 29 research trials and operates within some of the most stringent regulatory frameworks in healthcare.
“If a company like Hertility, based on peer-reviewed science and clinical evidence, can be censored while misinformation spreads freely, then the system designed to protect people is clearly failing them.”
Rhiannon White, CEO of period tracking app Clue, said: “Women are the world’s largest health and wellness consumers and control the majority of household spending in every market, yet they are dramatically underserved compared to their economic power.
“This gap creates three systemic problems: a profound lack of accessible women’s health information that forces women to self-diagnose, a confusing marketplace filled with unproven products and little evidence-based guidance, and persistent barriers to accessing care.
“But when companies like us and other members of the Women’s Health Visibility Alliance try to address these pain points by providing health information that prioritizes evidence-based guidance based on real science, we are repeatedly stymied for a number of baffling, unclear, and frankly biased reasons.”
