Teenage figure skaters — some just 13 — face escalating abuse on social media, Olympic champion Evan Bates warns. He's now recruiting young skaters to a tool he calls a "shield" that blocks hateful posts from view.
Elite skating skews young and female — exactly the demographics trolls hunt. A shield tool helps; platform accountability would help more.
From rinks to recording booths, the pattern repeats: blow up young, get devoured online. Toronto's teen artists live the same war. Block, report, protect the craft — the work outlasts the comments.
Sources: CBC News. Context from the Young Hadene newsroom.
A filter likened to a shield that hides abusive posts from young skaters.
Teen skaters, some as young as 13.