A BBC technology programme has raised concerns that a practice known as shadow banning could be restricting women's and young girls' access to health education messages online.
The episode of Tech Life, presented by Shiona McCallum and produced by Tom Quinn, explores how the content moderation technique, often used by social media platforms to limit the visibility of certain posts without explicitly removing them, may inadvertently block vital health advice.
“BBC's Tech Life raises concerns that shadow banning may block health advice for women and young girls.”
"We hear concerns that shadow banning is limiting access to health advice for women," the programme summary states, though it does not specify which platforms or types of advice are affected.
The episode, available from 30 June 2026, also features a nostalgic look at the discs that hold favourite video games, and includes an interview with the founder of the Global Gaming League.
Shadow banning, which typically involves making a user's content invisible to others without their knowledge, has previously been criticised for its lack of transparency. In the context of health, the practice could prevent women from seeing posts about contraception, reproductive health, or other topics that platforms might flag as sensitive.
The programme's warning comes amid growing scrutiny of how algorithms and moderation systems shape the information people see online, particularly for marginalised groups.
Tech Life is broadcast on the BBC World Service.
