Digital Finance Used to Abuse Young UK Women, Report Finds

Almost one in five teenage girls and young women in the UK aged 16 to 24 have experienced digital financial products being used as a tool of abuse by a current or former partner, according to the charity Surviving Economic Abuse. That works out to nearly 700,000 young people in that age group.

The findings come from a report titled Access Denied, Futures Derailed, based on a nationally representative survey of young women and teenage girls carried out with Ipsos UK.

Economic abuse is a legally recognised form of domestic abuse. It involves controlling a partner's or ex-partner's money, finances and the things money can buy, such as clothing, transport, food and a place to live. The charity's website states that one in six women in the UK has experienced economic abuse by a current or former partner in the past 12 months, and that it rarely happens on its own, usually alongside other forms of domestic abuse.

In the new survey, one in three young women had experienced economic abuse. Rates were highest among disabled young women and those with caring responsibilities for children.

The report describes several ways digital tools were used. One in eight girls and young women said a current or former partner had prevented them from having login information, such as passwords for online banking. The same proportion said an abuser had controlled their digital wallets, the apps and accounts used to store and spend money on a phone.

Seven per cent said an abuser had taken out credit in their name without consent, or because they were scared to refuse. This included credit from buy now, pay later lenders, which let people split the cost of a purchase into instalments.

For those who had experienced the abuse, the effects went beyond the screen. More than 40% said it had caused them financial difficulty. Half said it had harmed their mental health, with effects such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, self-harm or suicidal thoughts. More than a third of those who had experienced economic abuse said it prevented them from leaving the relationship.

One in six of those who had experienced the abuse had to borrow money to cover essential items or bills. Some of that borrowing came from digital lenders, including buy now, pay later providers and online payday lenders.