Social Media Is Getting Less Safe For LGBTQ+ Users. What Should Tech Companies Do Now? – AfroTech

A new report examines the safety of the LGBTQ+ community online.

GLAAD’s 2026 Social Media Safety Index (SMSI) examined policies at TikTok, X, YouTube, and Meta’s Instagram, Facebook, and Threads. Its scorecard uses 14 LGBTQ-specific indicators to assess safety, privacy, and expression. All of the platforms except TikTok saw their scores decline.

A perfect score is 100. The results of the scorecard are below:

• TikTok (56 points)
• Instagram (41 points)
• Facebook (40 points)
• Threads (39 points)
• YouTube (30 points)
• X (29 points)

TikTok

TikTok received the highest score. GLAAD said the company had “strong protections” for both LGBTQ and other marginalized groups in its Community Guidelines. It also said TikTok, along with X, is one of only two social media platforms that do not allow targeted misgendering and deadnaming and is the only social media company that does not promote conversion therapy.

It also noted that TikTok improved its policies on AI-generated content and viral misinformation.

There were areas for improvement, which prompted several recommendations, including providing internal training for staff on annual commitments to LGBTQ communities, publishing annual data that provides context on how diversity and inclusion are being upheld, and granting users greater control over how data related to their sexual orientation and gender identity is collected and used.

“Companies are collecting and profiting from ever-growing amounts of personal data, including information related to sexual orientation and gender identity,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis penned in a letter. “Data privacy is an especially important concern for LGBTQ people because involuntary outing can have such serious impacts, even including violence or legal persecution in places where being LGBTQ is criminalized or socially stigmatized.”

X

Although X is one of the two social media platforms that have barred deadnaming and misgendering in its community guidelines, its score decreased by a point because it applies this policy only “where required by local laws.” The limitations apply to public figures and require users to self-report those violations. The report recommends that X update its “Abuse and Harassment” policy by showing the same consideration for public figures as for other users and eliminating the requirement that users self-report those violations.

X also did not share any data on the implementation of its hate speech policies; therefore, the report suggests publishing a comprehensive report detailing how many accounts were penalized for violating policies protecting LGBTQ users.

It also recommends sharing data on the diversity of its workforce.

YouTube

YouTube experienced an 11-point drop since 2025, per the report. The platform does not protect gender identity and expression in its hate speech policy. Additionally, the company does not include exceptions for “LGBTQ people who use LGBTQ-related slurs in a self-expressive manner,” the report said.

The report calls for YouTube to change those policies and for greater clarity on the processes and technologies used to detect violations on the platform, as well as how the policy is applied. The report also recommends that YouTube not allow misgendering and deadnaming.

GLAAD hopes that social media companies will consider the index to better understand and improve the digital safety and privacy of LGBTQ users.

For those concerned about their digital safety, GLAAD encourages using its LGBTQ Digital Safety Guide.