As election day draws near, political ads seem to be everywhere. They’re online, on television, in the mail, and they can feel almost inescapable. When these ads bring up topics like sexual or domestic violence, they can also bring up a lot of emotions, especially for survivors.
Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Human Trafficking in Political Ads
Political campaigns increasingly feature ads addressing sexual assault, domestic violence, and human trafficking. These topics are addressed in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons. For example, candidates may want to highlight their own professional track record in prosecuting people who cause harm or supporting survivors in their community. They may point to their legislative voting record on relevant issues like protection orders, funding, or housing policies. On the other hand, opponents may use a candidate’s past behavior, statements, or voting records to frame them as unsafe or unsympathetic. Campaigns may also use testimonials from survivors or feature survivors speaking about their experience. Another reason these topics show up in political ads is attention. An ad has only a few seconds to hold a viewer, and stories about violence tend to do that, whether a person has been personally affected by it or not.
How These Political Ads Impact Survivors
Survivors may react in a variety of ways, and all of them are valid. An ad might feel validating to see, because someone is finally naming something you’ve lived through. On the other hand, these types of ads might make you feel like your experience is being used to make a point. Some survivors may feel retraumatized. They may notice their chest tighten or their focus slip. Some want to turn the TV off right away, and others feel angry, numb, or on edge for the rest of the evening. And, of course, a person can feel different things all at once or something different each time an ad comes on.
These ads can be particularly challenging for survivors because they are unchosen and nearly unavoidable. They interrupt daily life by arriving during dinner, a game, a commute, or a scroll. A single ad might repeat several times during just one television show. And while some ads include content warnings, these warnings do not work the way people hope. Studies show that warnings do not reduce negative emotional reactions or distress. In fact, they can create an immediate spike in anxiety and worry before a person even consumes the content. That means a person is experiencing negative emotional reactions twice: once to the warning and once to the content. Warnings also do not help people avoid distressing content. In some cases, they can actually make people slightly more curious.
Ways to Minimize Political Ads Online and on Television
While it is nearly impossible to avoid political ads completely, you can make a few changes to your media consumption and account settings to reduce how many you see.
- Switch to an ad-free subscription tier with your streaming provider.
- If you use traditional broadcast, cable, or free ad-supported streaming television services, keep your remote close to mute commercials or use a DVR to record shows and skip the ads.
- On Facebook, tap the menu button, go to Settings and Privacy > Settings > Accounts Center > Ad Preferences > Ad Topics > Special Topics. Unselect Social issues, Elections or Politics to see fewer ads about these topics.
- On Instagram, go to your profile, tap the menu in the top right, and navigate to Accounts Center > Ad preferences > Ad topics > Special topics. Tap Social Issues, Elections or Politics to see fewer of these ads.
- For online browsing, use third-party ad-blocking browser extensions and apps or use a privacy-focused browser that naturally blocks many ads.
If You Find Yourself Struggling
Even with these changes, some ads will still get through. If one leaves you feeling shaken, distracted, or just worn down, the Survivors’ Sanctuary is a place to turn. It is a self-guided healing platform designed to support survivors on their healing journey. You can explore mind, body, or integrative healing through 5–25-minute lessons, so it’s easy to fit in whenever you need it.
You can also contact your local survivor advocacy organization or a national helpline.
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