A recent study indicates a massive spike in violent crimes targeting women and girls through the use of digital tools. Over 123,000 such incidents were documented nationally in a single year, highlighting a dangerous trend in tech-enabled abuse.

The 207 per cent surge in tech-enabled violence since 2018

According to the research, there has been a 207 per cent increase in referrals for tech-enabled offenses against women and girls between 2018 and 2024 . This explosion in cases suggests that the tools used for harassment and stalking are evolving faster than the legal frameworks designed to stop them.

The report notes that over 123,000 violent offenses involving a technological element were recorded nationally within a one-year period . This volume of crime indicates that tech-enabled abuse is no longer a niche concern but a systemic crisis affecting a significant portion of the female population.

This trend mirrors a global shift where domestic abusers migrate from physical coercion to digital surveillance. by utilizing the ubiquity of connected devices, perpetrators can maintain a constant, invisible presence in a victim's life, creating a state of psychological terror that persists even when the abuser is not physically present.

Doorbell cameras and smart glasses as tools for monitoring

The research shows that devices originally marketed for home security and convenience, such as doorbell cameras and smart camera glasses,are being weaponized to monitor victims. These tools allow abusers to track the movements of women and girls in real-time, effectively turning a victim's own home or neighborhood into a surveillance zone.

Beyond hardware, the report highlights the role of mobile phones and social media in facilitating these offenses. These platforms are used not only for direct harassment but as conduits for the data gathered by smart cameras, allowing perpetrators to synchronize their stalking efforts across multiple digital channels.

The use of smart camera glasses is particularly concerning as it introduces a level of covert surveillance that is nearly impossible for a victim to detect. This shift from stationary surveillance (like a doorbell) to mobile, wearable surveillance represents a dangerous escalation in the capability of stalkers to invade privacy.

The 62 per cent spike between 2024 and 2025

As the report indicates, the momentum of these crimes is accelerating, with the number of reported cases increasing by a further 62 per cent between 2024 and 2025. This suggests that the proliferation of the "Internet of Things" (IoT) is providing abusers with an ever-expanding toolkit of vulnerabilities to exploit.

The rapid growth in these figures suggests that as smart technology becomes more integrated into the basic infrastructure of daily life, the opportunities for tech-enabled violence grow proportionally. The ease of access to high-resolution, cloud-connected cameras has lowered the barrier to entry for those seeking to commit these offenses.

The missing identity of the agency reporting 123,000 offenses

While the sttistics are alarming, a critical gap remains in the available data: the source does not specify which national body or research organization conducted the study. Without knowing the specific jurisdiction or the methodology used to define a "tech-enabled violent offense," it is difficult to compare these figures with global benchmarks.

Furthermore, the report does not clarify whether these 123,000 cases resulted in criminal charges or if they represent initial referrals for investigation. The lack of detail regarding the specific legal outcomes of these cases leaves it unclear whether law enforcement agencies are successfully adapting to this 200 per cent explosion in digital crime.