How to report abuse on Facebook

With nearly 2 billion users, Facebook is a popular virtual space that allows you to connect with friends, share content with others, and come together as a community. Unfortunately, there are times when inappropriate or disrespectful content may be shared on the platform. In an effort to prevent this, Facebook has established a set of community standards.  Therefore, if you observe any kind of abuse or violation of these community standards, Facebook recommends that it is immediately reported to their team. To learn more about how you can report abuse on Facebook, keep reading!

As outlined in their community standards, Facebook is committed to four main values: authenticity, safety, privacy, and dignity. In their policies, Facebook specifies what content is not allowed and what content requires additional information or a user warning. Additionally, Facebook’s Transparency Center site provides details on what Facebook’s goals are when it comes to combating abuse or misinformation and what actions are currently being taken by the team at Facebook.

So what actions can you take if you see something that violates the community guidelines? Facebook allows you to report any content posted to the site including, but not limited to profiles, photos, videos, posts, events, messages, comments, groups and ads. Most of the time, Facebook provides a Report link that allows users to report the content at a click of a button. This link is typically found near the content itself and allows you to give feedback as to why it goes against the community standards. With certain content, such as messages, Facebook may use the messages themselves to improve their review systems for reported content. However, the reporter’s user information is not collected when it comes to such circumstances. 

Once a report is sent, you should receive more information from Facebook in your support inbox. Your support inbox contains details regarding the status of your report and allows you to cancel your report prior to review. Note, when Facebook reviews the content that is reported, it is possible that it ends up not getting removed from the site. If you feel that the action taken or final outcome is not adequate, there is the possibility to request an additional review of your report. 

As with any social media platform, remember to be respectful and follow the community standards when posting or uploading content. In addition, don’t forget to keep others accountable in an effort to create a safe and welcoming virtual environment.