With the rapid development of technology, the role of the online space in everyday life has evolved significantly, opening up both new opportunities and challenges for the protection of personal interests in the online space. This article focuses on the legal analysis of the phenomenon of online hate speech in the context of social media platforms and the legal possibilities to combat this phenomenon. The authors provide a definition of personal interests in the online space and analyse the phenomenon of hate speech itself, pointing out the differences between hate speech and opinion, as well as the right to criticism. The authors also focus on the role of social media platforms in combating hate speech and protecting users’ rights, and present the tools available to protect personal rights. On the basis of selected extracts from the jurisprudence of Polish courts and the European Court of Human Rights, the authors seek to answer the question posed in the introduction to this article, i.e., whether it is possible to effectively protect personal interests from the threats posed by the Internet, which is the starting point for further considerations and a holistic discussion of the issues in question.