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Scottish Sun
15-07-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Posts about women's health BLOCKED by Instagram – while men's are promoted, study finds
Women need access to educational material, say the study commissioners GENDER HEALTH GAP Posts about women's health BLOCKED by Instagram – while men's are promoted, study finds Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Women's health topics are more than three times more likely to be blocked on social media than men's, according to a study. Posts are less likely to be viewed or engaged with due to algorithms, but the opposite is true about men's health. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Women may not be seeing posts about their health, as Instagram blocks them, a study suggests Credit: Getty Influencer Aly Boghici [allmumstalk] and her husband Justin [alldadstalk] shared content about male and female health to see the reaction from followers. Aly shared content about menopause, pain during sex and vaginal dryness - these types of posts were viewed by 66 per cent fewer non-followers than her typical Instagram activity. By comparison, when Justin posted about erectile dysfunction, leaking after sex and testosterone imbalance, he only noticed a mild drop in non-follower views, by 16 per cent, compared to his normal content. It suggests women's health and sexual wellness content is being routinely restricted on social media platforms as outdated algorithms detect words like 'vagina' or 'period' and block non-followers from viewing. Engagement rates between posts were significantly different, with Aly receiving a massive drop in comments by 69 per cent, whereas Justin received an uptick by 76 per cent as both followers and non-followers expressed interest in men's health topics. Hygiene and health company Essity, which produces menstrual health brands Bodyform and Modibodi, commissioned the experiment. It is campaigning to end the practice of social media companies banning medically and anatomically correct terminology related to women's health. Aly Boghici said: "It is clear my content is being censored and I can see clearly that the censorship of women's health related content is an issue. 'I have identified these following topics results in my posts receiving less engagement: menstrual health, charities supporting menstrual health, sexual health or charities supporting these important conversations, and the list can get longer. Millions of women live life according to their menstrual cycle, study shows 'I might be reluctant to post about these important issues moving forward as the message doesn't seem to be supported unless more support from the algorithms will be given, and people to be given a chance to voice their personal experiences, otherwise we cannot make a change and support women going through different health scenarios… we cannot break taboos if we keep silent .' Additional posts during the experiment by Aly focussed on periods, heavy bleeding and endometriosis - which saw 25 per cent less views. Taboo topics such as thrush and discharge had 14 per cent less views than normal content. Justin posted about taboo topics such as pain in the testicles, weird discharge and thrush. It doesn't feel fair that one gender appears to be disproportionately censored when it comes to sharing information about health. Justin Boghici They saw a massive surge, with 34 per cent more non-followers viewing the content compared to his other activity. His posts illustrating learnings about penile, testicular and prostate cancers experienced an increase in non-follower views by four per cent. Justin Boghici said: 'After one week of comparing notes, I noticed no notable change in engagement on my posts on male health issues, if anything, they've actually increased, especially on the reel message. 'It was quite interesting to make this men's vs women's health comparison. 'It doesn't feel fair that one gender appears to be disproportionately censored when it comes to sharing information about health.' The experiment comes as research of 4,000 adults found 47 per cent of those who use social media feel it is an important platform to educate themselves about health and wellbeing. And 45 per cent don't believe any restrictions should be placed on posts containing the correct medical or anatomical words and phrases to describe the human body. Some 44 per cent think anyone should be able to publish content related to women's health, for example, menstrual health or breast cancer. Just under eight in 10 adults (77 per cent) said words like 'vagina' or 'periods' should not be restricted on social media when used in an educational context. Essity is working with campaign group CensHERship to raise awareness about the negative impact of women's health censorship on social media. Spokesperson Kate Prince said: 'Our Bodyform brand is regularly censored when it launches new campaigns on social media that are designed to improve education around menstrual health. 'Women and girls must be able to access information and advice about critical health topics on social media and they should be able to hear about and engage with the experiences of others. 'We can fully understand the need to monitor certain words and phrases, but when anatomically and medically correct language is censored then we think it's going too far. 'We're asking the social media giants to use their expertise and offer a solution that would help millions of women and girls gain access to important content and information.'
South Wales Argus
14-07-2025
- Health
- South Wales Argus
Algorithms blocking women's health topics on social media
Influencer Aly Boghici (allmumstalk) shared content about menopause, pain during sex and vaginal dryness and discovered these types of posts were viewed by 66% fewer non-followers than her typical Instagram activity. By comparison, husband Justin (alldadstalk) posted about erectile dysfunction, leaking after sex and testosterone imbalance and only noticed a mild drop in non-follower views, by 16%, compared to his normal content. The research suggests women's health and sexual wellness content is being routinely restricted on social media platforms as outdated algorithms pick up words like vagina or period and block non-followers from viewing. Algorithms blocking women's health topics on social media Engagement rates between posts were significantly different with Aly receiving a massive drop in comments by 69%, whereas Justin received an uptick by 76% as both followers and non-followers expressed real interest in men's health topics. Hygiene and health company Essity, which produces menstrual health brands Bodyform and Modibodi, commissioned the experiment as part of its campaign to end the practice of social media companies banning medically and anatomically correct terminology related to women's health. 'We cannot break taboos if we keep silent' Aly Boghici said: 'I've seen a massive drop off in engagement when it comes to my four posts on the women's health subject compared to any of my other regular posts. "While Justin's engagement was pretty much the same or even higher than his regular posts. "It is clear my content is being censored and I can see clearly that the censorship of women's health related content is an issue. It's not hateful, it's SUPER important that we openly discuss menstruation. Keep talking, we're listening 💜 — Bodyform (@bodyform) July 2, 2023 'I have identified these following topics results in my posts receiving less engagement: menstrual health, charities supporting menstrual health, sexual health or charities supporting these important conversations, and the list can get longer. 'I might be reluctant to post about these important issues moving forward as the message doesn't seem to be supported unless more support from the algorithms will be given, and people to be given a chance to voice their personal experiences, otherwise we cannot make a change and support women going through different health scenarios… we cannot break taboos if we keep silent.' Additional posts during the experiment by Aly focussed on periods, heavy bleeding and endometriosis which saw 25% less views. Taboo topics such as thrush and discharge had 14% less than normal content. Justin posted about taboo topics such as pain in your balls, weird discharge and thrush and saw a massive surge with 34% more non-followers viewing the content compared to his other activity. His posts illustrating learnings about penile, testicular and prostate cancers experienced an increase in non-follower views by 4%. #ProstateCancer has become the most common cancer in England. However, for a disease that affects 1 in 8 men, there's still no screening programme and outdated NHS guidelines prevent lifesaving conversations with men at highest risk. ➡️ Read more: — Prostate Cancer UK (@ProstateUK) January 28, 2025 Justin Boghici said: 'After one week of comparing notes, I noticed no notable change in engagement on my posts on male health issues, if anything, they've actually increased, especially on the reel message. 'It was quite interesting to make this men's vs women's health comparison. What surprised me was how differently my wife's posts on women's health were treated, she saw a clear drop in engagement. 'It doesn't feel fair that one gender appears to be disproportionately censored when it comes to sharing information about health.' Nearly half of social media users think it's an important platform to educate themselves The experiment comes as research of 4,000 adults found 47% of those who use social media feel it is an important platform to educate themselves about health and wellbeing. According to 45%, no restrictions should be placed on posts containing the correct medical or anatomical words and phrases to describe the human body. While 44% think anyone should be able to publish content related to women's health, for example, menstrual health or breast cancer. Just under eight in 10 adults (77%) said words like 'vagina' or 'periods' should not be restricted on social media when used in an educational context. Essity is working with campaign group CensHERship to raise awareness about the negative impact of women's health censorship on social media. Recommended reading: Spokesperson Kate Prince said: 'Our Bodyform brand is regularly censored when it launches new campaigns on social media that are designed to improve education around menstrual health. 'Women and girls must be able to access information and advice about critical health topics on social media and they should be able to hear about and engage with the experiences of others. 'We can fully understand the need to monitor certain words and phrases, but when anatomically and medically correct language is censored, then we think it's going too far. 'We're asking the social media giants to use their expertise and offer a solution that would help millions of women and girls gain access to important content and information.'
North Wales Live
14-07-2025
- Health
- North Wales Live
Women's health content censored three times more than men's on social media
A recent study on censorship has unveiled that posts concerning women's health are more than three times more likely to be suppressed on social media compared to those about men's health. In a social media experiment, influencer Aly Boghici (@allmumstalk) found that her posts discussing menopause and sex were viewed by 66 percent fewer non-followers than her usual Instagram content. Conversely, when her husband Justin (@alldadstalk) posted about sex and testosterone imbalance, he only experienced a slight decrease in views from non-followers. The disparity was also noticeable in engagement rates. Aly witnessed a 69 percent drop in comments on her posts, while Justin saw a 76 percent increase as both followers and non-followers expressed genuine interest in his discussions on men's health issues. The study indicates that content related to women's health and sexual wellness is frequently censored on social media platforms due to outdated algorithms flagging words such as vagina or period, preventing non-followers from seeing the posts. The experiment was commissioned by hygiene and health company Essity, the firm behind menstrual health brands Bodyform and Modibodi, as part of their campaign to prevent social media companies from banning medically and anatomically accurate terminology associated with women's health. Aly documented a 'significant decline' in engagement across her four posts concerning women's health. She found that content relating to menstrual health, sexual wellbeing, or even charitable organisations supporting menstrual health attracted considerably less interaction than her typical posts. Without algorithmic support, she acknowledged that she might be more reluctant to share such content going forward, but cautioned that this won't help break taboos. Throughout the experiment, Aly's posted about periods, heavy bleeding and endometriosis, but experienced a 25 per cent reduction in views. Content addressing sensitive subjects like thrush and discharge also saw a 14 per cent decrease compared to her standard material. Justin mirrored this approach, sharing content about 'sensitive topics' such as testicular pain, but found he received an increase in activity from non-followers. His posts about penile, testicular and prostate cancers witnessed a four per cent rise in views from non-followers. Justin commented: "It was quite interesting to make this men's vs women's health comparison. What surprised me was how differently my wife's posts on women's health were treated, she saw a clear drop in engagement. "It doesn't feel fair that one gender appears to be disproportionately censored when it comes to sharing information about health." A study, involving 4,000 adults, found that nearly half of social media users view these platforms as essential for educating themselves on health and wellbeing. Additionally, 45 percent are against any restrictions on posts using accurate medical or anatomical terms to describe the human body. At the same time, 44 percent feel that everyone should have the freedom to share health-related content. Essity, in partnership with the campaign group CensHERship, is working to highlight the negative impact of censoring women's health issues on social media. Spokesperson Kate said: "Our Bodyform brand is regularly censored when it launches new campaigns on social media that are designed to improve education around menstrual health. "Women and girls must be able to access information and advice about critical health topics on social media and they should be able to hear about and engage with the experiences of others.
Wales Online
14-07-2025
- Health
- Wales Online
Women's health content censored three times more than men's on social media
Women's health content censored three times more than men's on social media Study reveals bias in social media algorithms with women's health posts censored more than men's When posting about women's health influencer Aly saw a drop in engagement (Image: Getty Images ) A recent study on censorship has unveiled that posts concerning women's health are more than three times more likely to be suppressed on social media compared to those about men's health. In a social media experiment, influencer Aly Boghici (@allmumstalk) found that her posts discussing menopause and sex were viewed by 66 percent fewer non-followers than her usual Instagram content. Conversely, when her husband Justin (@alldadstalk) posted about sex and testosterone imbalance, he only experienced a slight decrease in views from non-followers. The disparity was also noticeable in engagement rates. Aly witnessed a 69 percent drop in comments on her posts, while Justin saw a 76 percent increase as both followers and non-followers expressed genuine interest in his discussions on men's health issues. The study indicates that content related to women's health and sexual wellness is frequently censored on social media platforms due to outdated algorithms flagging words such as vagina or period, preventing non-followers from seeing the posts. The experiment was commissioned by hygiene and health company Essity, the firm behind menstrual health brands Bodyform and Modibodi, as part of their campaign to prevent social media companies from banning medically and anatomically accurate terminology associated with women's health. Article continues below Aly documented a 'significant decline' in engagement across her four posts concerning women's health. She found that content relating to menstrual health, sexual wellbeing, or even charitable organisations supporting menstrual health attracted considerably less interaction than her typical posts. Without algorithmic support, she acknowledged that she might be more reluctant to share such content going forward, but cautioned that this won't help break taboos. Throughout the experiment, Aly's posted about periods, heavy bleeding and endometriosis, but experienced a 25 per cent reduction in views. Content addressing sensitive subjects like thrush and discharge also saw a 14 per cent decrease compared to her standard material. Justin mirrored this approach, sharing content about 'sensitive topics' such as testicular pain, but found he received an increase in activity from non-followers. His posts about penile, testicular and prostate cancers witnessed a four per cent rise in views from non-followers. Justin commented: "It was quite interesting to make this men's vs women's health comparison. What surprised me was how differently my wife's posts on women's health were treated, she saw a clear drop in engagement. "It doesn't feel fair that one gender appears to be disproportionately censored when it comes to sharing information about health." Social media users consider it a crucial platform for educating themselves about health issues (Image: Getty Images ) A study, involving 4,000 adults, found that nearly half of social media users view these platforms as essential for educating themselves on health and wellbeing. Additionally, 45 percent are against any restrictions on posts using accurate medical or anatomical terms to describe the human body. At the same time, 44 percent feel that everyone should have the freedom to share health-related content. Essity, in partnership with the campaign group CensHERship, is working to highlight the negative impact of censoring women's health issues on social media. Article continues below Spokesperson Kate said: "Our Bodyform brand is regularly censored when it launches new campaigns on social media that are designed to improve education around menstrual health. "Women and girls must be able to access information and advice about critical health topics on social media and they should be able to hear about and engage with the experiences of others. "We're asking the social media giants to use their expertise and offer a solution that would help millions of women and girls gain access to important content and information."
Scotsman
14-07-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
Algorithms 'more likely to suppress women's health content over men's'
It comes as periods, heavy bleeding and endometriosis saw 25 per cent less views, and taboo topics such as thrush and discharge had 14 per cent less than normal content | Shutterstock Women's health topics are more than three times more likely to be blocked on social media than men's, according to a 'censorship' study. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Influencer Aly Boghici [allmumstalk] shared content about menopause, pain during sex and vaginal dryness and discovered these types of posts were viewed by 66 per cent fewer non-followers than her typical Instagram activity. By comparison, husband Justin [alldadstalk] posted about erectile dysfunction, leaking after sex and testosterone imbalance and only noticed a mild drop in non-follower views, by 16 per cent, compared to his normal content. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Which suggests women's health and sexual wellness content is being routinely restricted on social media platforms as outdated algorithms pick up words like vagina or period and block non-followers from viewing. Engagement rates between posts were significantly different, with Aly receiving a massive drop in comments by 69 per cent, whereas Justin received an uptick by 76 per cent as both followers and non-followers expressed real interest in men's health topics. Hygiene and health company Essity, which produces menstrual health brands Bodyform and Modibodi, commissioned the experiment as part of its campaign to end the practice of social media companies banning medically and anatomically correct terminology related to women's health. Aly Boghici said: 'I've seen a massive drop off in engagement when it comes to my four posts on the women's health subject compared to any of my other regular posts. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "While Justin's engagement was pretty much the same or even higher that his regular posts. "It is clear my content is being censored and I can see clearly that the censorship of women's health related content is an issue. 'I have identified these following topics results in my posts receiving less engagement: menstrual health, charities supporting menstrual health, sexual health or charities supporting these important conversations, and the list can get longer. 'I might be reluctant to post about these important issues moving forward as the message doesn't seem to be supported unless more support from the algorithms will be given, and people to be given a chance to voice their personal experiences, otherwise we cannot make a change and support women going through different health scenarios… we cannot break taboos if we keep silent .' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Additional posts during the experiment by Aly focussed on periods, heavy bleeding and endometriosis - which saw 25 per cent less views, and taboo topics such as thrush and discharge – which had 14 per cent less than normal content. Justin posted about taboo topics such as pain in your balls, weird discharge and thrush and saw a massive surge, with 34 per cent more non-followers viewing the content compared to his other activity. While his posts illustrating learnings about penile, testicular and prostate cancers experienced an increase in non-follower views by four per cent. Justin Boghici said: 'After one week of comparing notes, I noticed no notable change in engagement on my posts on male health issues, if anything, they've actually increased, especially on the reel message. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It was quite interesting to make this men's vs women's health comparison. What surprised me was how differently my wife's posts on women's health were treated, she saw a clear drop in engagement. 'It doesn't feel fair that one gender appears to be disproportionately censored when it comes to sharing information about health.' The experiment comes as research of 4,000 adults found 47 per cent of those who use social media feel it is an important platform to educate themselves about health and wellbeing. And 45 per cent don't believe any restrictions should be placed on posts containing the correct medical or anatomical words and phrases to describe the human body. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad While 44 per cent think anyone should be able to publish content related to women's health, for example menstrual health or breast cancer. Just under eight in 10 adults (77 per cent) said words like 'vagina' or 'periods' should not be restricted on social media when used in an educational context. Essity is working with campaign group CensHERship to raise awareness about the negative impact of women's health censorship on social media. Spokesperson Kate Prince said: 'Our Bodyform brand is regularly censored when it launches new campaigns on social media that are designed to improve education around menstrual health. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Women and girls must be able to access information and advice about critical health topics on social media and they should be able to hear about and engage with the experiences of others. 'We can fully understand the need to monitor certain words and phrases, but when anatomically and medically correct language is censored then we think it's going too far. 'We're asking the social media giants to use their expertise and offer a solution that would help millions of women and girls gain access to important content and information.'
