Facebook Safety
Facebook aspires to be an environment where people can interact safely with their friends and the people around them. We have implemented many safety and privacy controls on Facebook as part of our goal to enable people to share their information with only the people they want to see it. We are constantly improving our systems for identifying and removing inappropriate content and people from the site.
Children under 13 years old are not permitted access to Facebook. In addition, parents of children 13 years and older should consider whether their child should be supervised during the child's use of the Facebook site.
Despite Facebook's safety and privacy controls, Facebook cannot guarantee that the site is entirely free of illegal, offensive, pornographic or otherwise inappropriate material, or that its members will not encounter inappropriate or illegal conduct from other members. Consequently, you may encounter such content and conduct. You can help Facebook by notifying us of any nudity, pornography, harassment or unwelcome contact by clicking on the "Report" link located on pages throughout the site. Facebook will use its best efforts to review reports made through this site reporting tool within 24 hours and remove any content that is deemed to have violated the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. If warranted Facebook will also warn or disable the user responsible for posting the abusive content. Where complaints about nudity, pornography, harassment or unwelcome contact are made by independent email to abuse@facebook.com, Facebook will acknowledge receipt of the complaint and begin to address it within 24 hours. Facebook will respond to the reporter within 72 hours of receiving the email complaint to inform them of the steps Facebook has taken to address it.
Click here to contact the Independent Safety and Security Examiner (ISSE) regarding Facebook's complaint handling procedures. Please note that if you have not previously made a complaint to Facebook you should not use this link. Facebook is solely responsible for complaint handling, and you should address all complaints or reports of abuse directly to Facebook using the procedures described on this page.
We ask that all users to report suspicious people and inappropriate content they encounter on Facebook. We also strongly encourage users under the age of 18 to talk to a parent or a responsible adult immediately if someone online says or does something to make them feel uncomfortable or threatened in any way.
Remember that although using fake names is a violation of the Facebook Terms of Use, people are not always who they say they are. You should always be careful when sending friend requests to, or accepting friend requests from people you do not know in the real world. It is always risky to meet anyone in person whom you don't know through real world friends.
Always follow these important safety tips when using Facebook:
- Never share your password with anyone
- Adjust your privacy settings to match your level of comfort, and review them often
- Be cautious about posting and sharing personal information, especially information that could be used to identify you or locate you offline, such as your address or telephone number
- Report users and content that violate our Terms of Use
- Block and report anyone that sends you unwanted or inappropriate communications
For Parents:
Facebook strongly urges parents to talk to their children about the dangers they may encounter online, and to make sure their children are using Facebook in a safe manner. Parents may want to install monitoring software on home computers if they are concerned about what their children are doing online. Children must know that they should report any inappropriate or offensive Facebook content to their parents and to Facebook using the tools made available through the site. Parents should always remind their children to follow the important safety tips listed on this page when using Facebook.
More information regarding internet safety can be found on the following sites:
- OnguardOnline.gov
- WiredSafety.org
- Commonsense.com
- Ncmec.org
- TRUSTe.org
- ConnectSafely.org
- NetSmartz.org
- WebWiseKids.org
Safety FAQs
For Users:
- You can anonymously report messages by clicking on the "Report Message" link under the the name and picture of the sender when viewing a message. Facebook will review your complaint and will act to ensure all users comply with our Terms of Use so that Facebook remains a trusted environment where people can interact safely.
- You can easily block any user on Facebook from seeing or contacting you by entering their name in the Block People section on the Privacy page.
- You can limit the people who can find you in searches, which in turn limits who can message you. You can also prevent people from messaging you from your search listing. Both options are available on the Search Privacy page.
- You can remove any offensive Wall postings by clicking on the "Delete" link that appears on each posting.
- If you would like to prevent the individual from leaving any more unwanted postings, just remove the person as a friend from the Friends page. Only your friends can post on your Wall.
We want Facebook to remain an environment where people can connect and share comfortably. Cyberbullying is defined as the use of any new technology to harass or intimidate someone, and there are steps you can take to prevent this kind of behavior if it occurs. Cyberbullying is considered to be abusive behavior from minor to minor, while cyberharassment typically involves adults.
Accept Friend Requests Safely
In order to prevent harassment from strangers, be careful to accept friend requests only from people you know in real life. Also, remember to report any messages or profiles that look suspicious. Facebook is based on a real-name culture, and fake profiles are regularly disabled when they're reported to us. Please also keep in mind that only confirmed friends can post to your Wall or contact you via Facebook Chat, so if you're worried that someone will make inappropriate posts or send offensive messages, just ignore that person's friend request.Use the "Block" Feature to Stop Abusive Behavior
A block prevents specific people from viewing your profile. When you block people, any ties you currently have with them will be broken, and these people won't be able to contact you through Facebook. If you receive inappropriate or abusive communication, you can block the person by listing his or her name in the "Block People" box at the bottom of your Privacy Settings page. You can visit this page at any time by hovering your mouse over the "Settings" link at the top of any page of Facebook and selecting the "Privacy Settings" option from the drop-down menu that appears.
Report Abusive Behavior Directly to Facebook
The most efficient way to report abuse is to do it in the same place it occurs on Facebook. For example, if you receive a harassing message in your Inbox, you can report the message by clicking on the "Report" link next to the sender's name as you are reading the message. If you receive a harassing message from a person who is a Facebook friend of yours, you should remove the person as a friend and report the message. Reporting the message as harassing will automatically add this person to your Block list. You can also use the "Report/Block person" link that appears at the bottom of the abusive user's profile. If you learn that someone is continuing to make abusive comments about you even after you've blocked them, you can ask a friend to report that person on your behalf. Reports are confidential and the user being reported does not know that they have been reported. After a report is submitted, we will investigate the issue and make a determination as to whether or not the content should remain on the site based on our Terms of Use. A Facebook administrator looks into each report thoroughly in order to decide the appropriate course of action.
Restrict Privacy Settings
To restrict the amount of information that potential bullies may have access to, customize your privacy settings so that certain people can't access information like your Wall, photos, or profile. You can also change your privacy settings if you are uncomfortable being found in searches or having your profile viewed publicly. Privacy on Facebook is controlled primarily from the Privacy Settings page. You can visit this page at any time by hovering your mouse over the "Settings" link at the top of any page of Facebook and selecting the "Privacy Settings" option from the drop-down menu that appears.
Respond to Abusers in the Right Way
Cyberbullies often seek a reaction from the people they harass. When they fail to get one, they often give up gradually. Rather than responding to a bully via Inbox, a Wall post, or Facebook Chat, you can delete offensive posts from your Wall or messages from your Inbox and then use the "Block" or "Report" functions to resolve the issue safely. To delete an offensive Wall post, hover over the post in question, click the "Remove" button that appears, and select "Delete" in the dialogue box. To delete a message from Inbox, simply click the "Delete" button at the top of the message. Only confirmed friends can post to your Wall or send you a message through Chat. If you are receiving posts and Chat messages you don't like, you should consider removing the sender from your friends list.
These tips have been reviewed by stopcyberbullying.org and connectsafely.org, two independent organizations that provide tools, resources, and educational materials on internet safety including cyberbullying and cyberharassment.ConnectSafely.org offers additional information on cyberbullying and cyberharassment at http://www.connectsafely.org/Safety-Tips/tips-to-help-stop-cyberbullying.html. Stopcyberbullying.org offers information on preventing cyberbullying and cyberharassment at http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/prevention/index.html.
Facebook is a member of the StopCyberbullying Coalition, a movement to understand, prevent, and address cyberbullying affiliated with stopcyberbullying.org.
- To remove your name from a particular photo, simply view the photo and click the "Remove Tag" link next to your name. It will no longer be linked to your profile.
- Remember that you can only be tagged in photos by your friends. If you are having problems with someone constantly tagging you in embarrassing photos, just remove them as a friend from the Friends page.
- If you don't want the photo to be shown at all, please talk to the person who posted it. They should be respectful enough to remove unwanted photos. Unfortunately, Facebook cannot make users remove photos that do not violate our Terms of Use.
For Parents:
Privacy settings can be accessed through the "Privacy Settings" link from the "Settings" drop-down available at the top right side of any page on the site.
- Never share their password with anyone
- Understand their privacy settings
- Report people that violate our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities
- Block anyone that might be sending unwanted content
- OnguardOnline.gov
- WiredSafety.org
- Commonsense.com
- Ncmec.org
- TRUSTe.org
- ConnectSafely.org
- NetSmartz.org
- WebWiseKids.org
We encourage parents to exercise any discretion they can on their own computers and in overseeing their kids' internet use. If you are a parent, you might also consider using software tools on your own computer in order to do so. Please do a search for computer-based Internet control technology on your preferred search engine to discover options that you may wish to pursue.
Please also talk to your kids, educate them about internet safety, and ask them to use our extensive privacy settings.
Additionally, applicable laws may give parents the right to access personal information their child has provided before Facebook follows its policy of promptly deleting such accounts. You may access the account and obtain any necessary personal information by having your child sign into their account. You can then direct the deletion of the account by using the instructions here.
Alternatively, you can submit a request to Facebook here. Please be aware that you will be required to submit a notarized statement declaring your rights as a parent or guardian immediately upon using this form.
