Prevention of Digital Violence and Exposure To Hate Speech In The Perception of The Effectiveness of Policies Against Gender-Based Violence On Social Media

Analyse the direct and indirect effects of attitudes towards reporting violence and experiencing direct violence on social media on the perception of the effectiveness of policies against gender-based violence, considering the mediating role of digital violence prevention and exposure to hate speech. The study adopted a quantitative, explanatory, and non-experimental cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 116 university students from the Catholic University of Santa María (Arequipa, Peru). Data were collected through a structured survey administered between November and December 2025 and analysed using structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. The results show that attitudes towards reporting have a direct and significant influence on the perception of policy effectiveness, as well as on the prevention of digital violence and exposure to hate speech. The experience of direct violence is negatively associated with prevention and positively associated with exposure to hate speech, without showing direct effects on the perception of policies. No significant mediating effects were found. The perception of the effectiveness of policies against gender-based violence on social media is mainly explained by attitudinal factors, highlighting the importance of strengthening a culture of reporting and institutional trust as a central axis of preventive strategies.