Tech-based coercive control: Study reveals 'concerning normalisation' of red flags

Tech-based coercive control: Study reveals ‘concerning normalisation’ of red flags

Australians’ attitudes towards ‘red flag’ coercive control behaviours using technology have been revealed in a new study, with nearly a quarter believing it’s reasonable to expect to have passwords or codes to a partner’s personal devices.

The new study, which will be published in full in 2025, surveyed over 2,000 Australian adults and looked at people’s attitudes towards a range of behaviour that could be considered red flags for tech-based coercive control by a partner.

Over 23 per cent agreed or strongly agreed it’s reasonable to expect to have passwords or codes to an intimate partner’s personal devices, while 13.6 per cent agreed or strongly agreed it’s reasonable to expect to be able to track an intimate partner whenever they want using location-sharing apps such as Find My Friends.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said tech-based control is “almost always used in family, domestic and sexual violence”. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

Insisting on checking how someone looks in a photo before they share or post it online was thought to usually be a sign of care from an intimate partner among 28.7 per cent of participants.

And 19.1 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that wanting someone to be constantly available to respond to texts, calls or video chats was usually a sign of care.

The data was released by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner to mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign run by UN Women, which runs from 25 November through 10 December.

A graph showing Australians' attitudes towards red flags of tech-based coercive control

Source: SBS News

The campaign calls for participating nations to adopt, implement and fund National Action Plans to end violence against women and girls and invest in prevention and women’s rights organisations.

Globally, 48,800 women and girls were killed worldwide in 2022 by their intimate partners or other family members, amounting to five women or girls killed every hour.

The eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said frontline family and domestic violence workers report tech-based control is “almost always used in family, domestic and sexual violence”.

“What’s concerning about these findings is the normalisation of these expectations within any intimate relationship,” she said.

The eSafety Commissioner will partner with 10 telecommunications companies including Telstra, Optus and TPG Telecom to roll out an awareness campaign about tech-based coercive control from 3 December.

Difference between men’s and women’s attitudes towards red flag behaviours

The study also found many people agreed that insisting on checking how someone looks in a photo before they share it online, wanting a partner to be constantly available over the phone and constantly texting to check who a partner is with or what they’re doing are all usually signs of care from an intimate partner.

However, there were some stark differences between men’s and women’s attitudes towards these red flag behaviours:

Men were almost twice as likely to agree constantly texting to ask who a partner is with or what they’re doing is a sign of care compared to women (20.1 per cent to 10.4 per cent).
Men were more than twice as likely to agree that wanting a partner to be constantly available to respond to texts, calls or video chats was a sign of care (26.3 per cent to 11.8 per cent).
And men were far more likely to agree that expecting to have passwords or codes to personal devices was a reasonable expectation from partners (28.2 per cent to 18.7 per cent).

Those who were more likely to agree with the red flag behaviours were younger, men, or spoke a language other than English at home.

Perpetrators ‘upskilling’

Technology-facilitated coercive control is connected to intimate partner violence and one Australian study found that all victim-survivors of online abuse had also experienced sexual, physical, financial and psychological abuse.

Dr Bridget Harris, director of the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre, told SBS News tech-based coercive control is common in family and domestic violence situations because tech is everywhere.

“Because tech is such a big part of our lives, we use tech for education, for employment, socially, managing our household, managing our health for instance — it’s really common that perpetrators will be weaponising technology,” she said.

While most perpetrators use basic tech skills such as text messages, voice calls and social media to exert control, monitor, harass or stalk victim-survivors, Harris said others have a higher skill set and more confidence — and the number of these perpetrators is growing.

“Tech software that we used to think of as really high-tech are much much cheaper than they used to be,” Harris said.

“Also, unfortunately it’s quite easy for perpetrators to upskill to learn more to share strategies with other perpetrators that help them further weaponise technology.”

Harris said tech-based coercive control can also stop victim-survivors from seeking help.

“If you suspect or you worry that your technology is being monitored, it’s a huge deterrent to help-seeking and also exiting violent relationships, so it’s a big barrier for victim-survivors,” she said.

Coercive control laws

Coercive control has now been criminalised in NSW and Queensland, while Western Australia and South Australia have each committed to criminalising it.

Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory have retained more general family violence acts.

While she believes Australia “might see positive results” with coercive control laws, Harris said laws around stalking or surveillance may also be used effectively to prosecute tech-based coercive control.

Harris also said states and territories may see “unintended but not unforeseen consequences” with coercive control laws, such as further disadvantaging First Nations women who report family and domestic violence and who can be frequently misidentified as offenders rather than victim-survivors.

“I think it’s really important that we’re monitoring how these laws are and are not working.”

If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit . In an emergency, call 000.

The Men’s Referral Service provides advice for men on domestic violence and can be contacted on 1300 766 491.