2025 Social Media Safety Index

2025 Social Media Safety Index Platform Scorecard

The 2025 SMSI Platform Scorecard consists of 14 indicators that draw on best practices from the Ranking Digital Rights (RDR) Big Tech Scorecard, the highly-respected evaluation of the world’s most powerful digital platforms on their policies and practices affecting people’s rights to freedom of expression and privacy. All evaluations are conducted looking at the public-facing policies of each platform. While results have global implications for LGBTQ safety, privacy, and expression online, our analysis is based on the English-language versions of public-facing policies and documents covering the U.S. market. Additional methodology information is available in the Research Guidance. The full list of indicators and elements used in the evaluation process is available here. Please also see the important contextual note about the 2025 Platform Scorecard and Methodology Changes.

The Platform Scorecard evaluates six major social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, and Threads (whose parent company is Meta); TikTok (parent company: ByteDance); YouTube (parent company: Alphabet/Google), and X.

Covering Hate Crimes

A resource for media professionals covering hate crimes against LGBT people – includes a terminology guide, links to legislative statistics, a coverage archive and more.

Asian Pacific Islander Resource Kit

The media are covering the lives, stories, and issues of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people more frequently, and often in a more fair, accurate, and balanced manner. Repeatedly, however, Asian Pacific Islander Community LGBT voices, perspectives, and opinions are left out of the picture.

Communities of African Descent Resource Kit

The media are covering the lives, stories, and issues of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people more frequently, and often in a more fair, accurate, and balanced manner. Repeatedly, however, black LGBT voices, perspectives, and opinions are left out of the picture.

Sweeps Week Resource Kit

Community organizations play a vital role in responding to sensational sweeps coverage with their own anti-defamation campaigns. With this Sweeps Weeks Toolkit, GLAAD encourages community members to contact stations that air sensational coverage about the LGBT community and tell them how such stories spread inaccurate or defamatory myths about us.