Sadly, the online abuse that Love Island contestants receive has been well reported, but what people may not realise is that whilst the contestants are on the show, they're not the ones seeing the abuse. It's their families and friends who have to deal with it as they monitor their accounts from back home.
Priya Gopaldas and Kaz Kamwi, both from series 7, spoke on an episode of BBC's Panorama about the online abuse their social media accounts received whilst on the show, and how that affected their families. "I think it was hard just because obviously [Kaz's] Instagram was on my phone, so I think I saw a lot more than people realise that I did," Kaz's sister Banji explained on the show. "And I didn't want to go downstairs to my mum and be like oh here's another one, here's another one ... I kind of just had to be like block and delete, block and delete. So I just think it was a lot to handle."
Priya's friends monitored her account and had a similar experience. "I actually think it was more difficult for them seeing all of the trolling than it was for me because I expected it and I don't think they were fully prepared for it. Even though I'd informed them that there was going to be this sort of this behaviour, I think they felt quite defensive, they wanted to, you know, send messages back."
Image Source: Getty Images / Kate Green