How Can I Report Abuse on Instagram, Twitter, & Facebook: Step by Step

NOTE: The following data has been reproduced from Saahas, an app for individuals facing gender based violence to find assistance easily, created by Kirthi Jayakumar.

Kirthi has been a huge pillar of support and a personification of kindness and generosity since the get-go of this initiative. Members of The Neeti Project hold deep gratitude towards her constant assistance and contributions to make this space and the world at large, a better place.

(Image source: Firstpost.com)

Reproduced From Saahas App

While the process of reporting may vary from platform to platform, it typically remains true that most platforms allow the person reporting to retain their privacy absolutely – in that no information of theirs is shared when a report is made. Here is an explanation of how you can report abuse or harassment across a couple of prominent social media platforms online. 

TWITTER

1. To report a profile for violation on Twitter: 
1. open the profile you’d like to report
2. Select the overflow icon (three dots in a vertical line) or tap the gear icon. 
3. Select “Report” and then select the type of issue you’d like to report. If you select “They’re being abusive or harmful,” you will be asked to provide additional information about the issue you’re reporting. 
4. You may be asked to select specific additional Tweets from the account you’re reporting so that Twitter has a better context to evaluate the report. 
5. Once the report has been submitted, Twitter will offer recommendations for additional actions you can take. 
2. To report an individual Tweet: 
1. navigate to the Tweet you’d like to report
2. then, click on the icon located at the top of the Tweet, and select “Report Tweet.” 
3. If you select “They’re being abusive or harmful,” you will be asked to provide additional information about the issue you’re reporting. 
4. You may be asked to select specific additional Tweets from the account you’re reporting so that Twitter has a better context to evaluate the report. 
5. Once the report has been submitted, Twitter will offer recommendations for additional actions you can take. 
3. To report a Direct Message: 
1. click the Direct Message conversation and find the message you’d like to flag. 
2. Hover over the message and click the report icon when it appears. 
3. Select “Report @username.”
4. If you select “They’re being abusive or harmful,” you will be asked to provide additional information about the issue you’re reporting. 
5. You may be asked to select specific additional Tweets from the account you’re reporting so that Twitter has a better context to evaluate the report. 
6. Once the report has been submitted, Twitter will offer recommendations for additional actions you can take. 
4. To report a Tweet in a Moment for violations: 
1. navigate to the tweet within the moment that you want to report. 
2. Click or tap the icon click or tap “report tweet.” 
3. Choose the type of issue you’d like to report. 
4. Once you’ve submitted the report, Twitter provides recommendations for actions you can take. 
5. To report multiple components of a moment for violations, visit the moments reporting form, enter the Moment URL that you would like to report. 
6. Select the type of issue you’d like to report and offer up to five tweets within the moment that may be in violation. 
7. Once you’ve submitted your report, Twitter will offer recommendations for actions you can take.

FACEBOOK 

1. To report a profile: 
1. go to the profile you want to report, in the bottom right of the cover photo, click and select Report
2. then follow the on-screen instructions. 
2. To report a post: 
1. click on the top right of the post
2. click “report post” or “report photo,” 
3. select the option that best describes the issue and follow the on-screen instructions. 
3. To report something someone posted on your timeline: 
1. in the top right of the post, click “report post” or “report photo” 
2. select the option that best describes the issue and follow the on-screen instructions
4. To report a photo or video:  
1. click on the photo or video to expand it. 
2. Hover over the photo or video and click “options” in the bottom-right corner
3. click “report photo” for photos or “report video” for videos
4. Select the option that best describes the issue and follow the on-screen instructions. 
5.  If you want to report a message you received, fill out this form. 
6. To report a page:  
1. go to the page you want to report
2. click below the page's cover photo and select “Report Page.” 
3. Choose the option that best describes the issue and follow the on-screen instructions. 
7. To report something you see in a group: 
1. find the post you want to report and click “story options” in the top right. 
2. Select “Report to Admin” to report the post to an admin, or select “Report Post” to send the report to Facebook. 
3. If you choose to report the post to an admin, the admin will know that you reported it. 
4. Admins may or may not choose to remove the post or block the person who shared the post. Reporting a post to an admin won't send a report to Facebook. 
8. If you want to report something you can't see, use this link.

INSTAGRAM

1. If you don't have an Instagram account, you can report abuse, spam or anything else that doesn't follow the Community Guidelines using this form. 
2.  If you have an Instagram account, report abuse, spam or anything else that doesn't follow our Community Guidelines from within the app. 
3. To report a post: 
1. tap the three dots in a line above the post
2. then tap “Report.”
3.  Follow the on-screen instructions to navigate the steps ahead. 
4. To report a profile:  
1. tap the three dots in a line in the top right of the profile
2. tap “Report.” 
3. Follow the on-screen instructions that follow
5. If you want to report inappropriate comments: 
1. tap below the post
2. swipe left over the comment you'd like to report
3. tap Spam or Scam or Abusive Content
4. select an option for why the comment is abusive. 
5. When you report an inappropriate comment, your report is anonymous, so your information is never shared with the person who has posted the comment. 
6. If someone leaves an inappropriate comment on your post, you can also delete it.