On Facebook someone from the town I live in has taken it upon them selves to create a account called 'spotted ******' on this account they say to send in hate and then they post it as there status, I have not been personally affected by having something being written about me but many people from the town and a few people I know have . A group of us all decided together each of us on our own account would report the account so facebook could take it down and stop people having hate written about them but Facebook are yet to have done this. Is there anyway we can report the account to someone who can immediatly get it deleted? Or we will we have to keep reporting it to facebook?
Sam
Hi there,
Thanks for your letter.
Even if you haven’t been personally affected by having something written about you, it can still be upsetting to read abusive posts written about other people. Each social network is different and you do need to report directly to Facebook about your concerns.
Nobody has to go through online bullying alone and you and your friends have taken the first step by reporting the abusive account to Facebook.
Sometimes people use social networks to be abusive and to bully other people and this is called cyber bullying. In this case, a group of people are using the internet to upset or humiliate other people. Getting bullied online can be really upsetting and it’s never easy to see why someone would behave in this way.
Bullying isn’t specifically against the law but harassment and threatening behaviour is. Harassment can be reported directly to the police. You and your friends could do this as well as waiting for a reply from Facebook.
When something gets reported to Facebook, they will look at it and remove anything that doesn't follow the Facebook Community Standards. When Facebook contacts the person who made an abusive page or group, they won't say anything about who it was that reported it.
It’s important to know that making a report to Facebook doesn’t mean the content will definitely be removed. You may see something you don't like on Facebook that doesn't break the Facebook rules. This means it would be up to them to decide if they should delete it or not.
Perhaps you could think about speaking to an adult you trust – maybe someone that you live with or a teacher at school. They could help you to talk to the police if this is what you decide that you’d like to do next.
Whatever the problem is, talking about it can be the first step to solving it. If you don’t feel ready to talk to an adult you can talk to a ChildLine counsellor. There are different ways to do this – you can have a 1-2-1 online chat, ring our free phone number 0800 1111 or send an email.
I hope we hear from you again when you’re ready.
Take care, Sam
Need help straight away?
Contact a counsellor online or call 0800 1111. Calls are free and confidential.
