Nikita’s Story: SnapMaps
Nikita talks about changing her Snapchat settings to feel happy about using SnapMaps.
Support if you are feeling hurt by posts, comments, photos, tags or other forms of ongoing harassment and you are not sure how to stop it.
What are some things I can do?
Understand that it is not up to someone else to do something
If you see something online that you think is offensive or not ok, whether it is someone you know or someone you don’t (or even someone in the public eye) other people probably agree with you.
Sometimes, we don’t do anything because we think that someone else will or we are not exactly sure what to do.
The problem is, a lot of people feel this way so then often, nothing gets done. This gives the impression that we agree with or are ok with what has been posted. This can happen with Hate Speech or comments that target particular groups.
If you see something online that makes you uncomfortable, there are a range of things you can do.
Doing something is the best way to keep things positive.
Weigh up whether to comment
This can seem like a good idea at the time, especially when emotions are high, but most of the time this only makes things worse.
If you do want to leave a comment, do not do this until you have taken some time to think it through and discussed it with someone else.
Make sure that you do not insult or put down the person that made the post/comment, this is simply a personal attack and is unlikely to change anything.
Keep it brief, clear and to the point. Use facts.
If you do decide to write a comment, keep in mind that it will be visible to everyone who can see the post, anyone can see it and reply to it.
This means there could be some really emotional, angry or nasty comments from people who disagree with you. It is important that you are prepared for this.
An alternative is to use one of the reactions that might apply (like a sad or angry face).
Remember that a lot of people really enjoy being controversial or inappropriate online and do so to get a reaction. Commenting may be exactly what they are hoping for in order to get more attention.
Use the Reporting Tools
Whether it is on Social Media, Youtube or on a website, you have a range of ways you can report or flag content.
This is one of the most effective ways to get content removed.
If it is a Public Page, you can report it to the admin or directly to the platform.
You can also choose to stop seeing any posts from that person by clicking beside the post and selecting ‘Hide all from this person’ on Facebook or blocking the person on Instagram or Snapchat.
Check out the icons below for how to report on various platforms.
On a website, you can contact the ‘Webmaster’ or use the ‘Contact Us’ feature.
