The Safety Center is a resource for anyone to learn about online safety, on Twitter and beyond. This resource is a result of our work with online safety experts who continuously help us to promote good digital citizenship. We’re excited to make this knowledge easily accessible to you via this new site. The Safety Center is organized around Twitter’s tools and policies to address your safety, with sections created especially for teens, parents and educators.
These resources should help you quickly understand how to manage your experience on Twitter and also understand how the community and Twitter take action together when our policies are violated.
Your online safety is a shared responsibility, and digital citizenship is essential to fostering a safe environment for all. As Twitter evolves along with the world of online safety, we will continue to create new materials for the Safety Center. And since we are a global community, in the coming weeks the Safety Center will be translated into some of the most-used languages on Twitter and even more languages over time. We will continue to work with our partners around the world to bring the most useful information to the Twitter community.” – Twitter
[bctt tweet=”#Tech2EndGBV – Learn how to block a Tweet or Tweeter with the Twitter Safety Center tutorials” username=”tech2endgbv”]
Common Twitter Safety Questions and Answers:
How do I block a Twitter Account that is harassing me?
To block from a Tweet
- Click the ∨ icon located at the top of a Tweet from the account you wish to block.
- Click Block, and then select Block to confirm.
To block from a profile
- Go to the profile page of the account you wish to block.
- Click the more (three dots) icon on their profile page.
- Select Block from the menu.
- Click Block to confirm.
How do I remove triggering words from my Twitter Search?
- Click Settings and privacy from your profile image drop-down.
- Click Muted words.
- Click Add.
- Enter the word or hashtag you’d like to mute. Entries can only be added one a time.
- Select Home timeline if you wish to mute the word or phrase from your Home timeline.
- Select Notifications if you wish to mute the word or phrase from your Notifications.
- Specify From anyone or From only people I don’t follow.
- Under For how long? choose between Forever, 24 hours from now, 7 days from now, or 30 days from now.)
- Click Add.
- You will see the mute time period indicated next to each entered word or hashtag.
Via mobile.twitter.com:
- Go to your Notifications tab
- Tap the gear icon
- Tap Muted words.
- Tap +Add muted or phrase.
- Type in the word or hashtag you’d like to mute. Entries can only be added one a time.
- If you wish to mute that word or phrase on your Home timeline, check the box.
- If you wish to mute that word or phrase from your Notifications, check the box.
- Select whether this is From anyone or From only people I follow (for Notifications only).
- Under For how long? choose between Forever, 24 hours from now, 7 days from now, or 30 days from now.)
- Tap Save.
- You will see a muted icon and the mute time period next to each entered word or hashtag.
Online Abuse on Twitter – What must I do?
Being the target of online abuse is not easy to deal with. Knowing the appropriate steps to take to address your situation can help you through the process.
When to report it?
We’ve all seen something on the Internet we disagree with or have received unwanted communication. Such behavior does not necessarily constitute online abuse. If you see or receive an reply you don’t like, unfollow and end any communication with that account.
If the behavior continues, it is recommended that you block the account. Blocking will prevent that person from following you, seeing your profile image on their profile page, or in their timeline; additionally, their replies or mentions will not show in your Notifications tab (although these Tweets may still appear in search).
Abusive accounts often lose interest once they realize that you will not respond. If the account in question is a friend, try addressing the issue offline. If you have had a misunderstanding, it may be possible to clear the matter up face to face or with the help of a trusted individual.
If you continue receiving unwanted, targeted and continuous replies on Twitter, and feel it constitutes online abuse, consider reporting the behavior to Twitter.
Take threats seriously
If you believe you are in physical danger, contact the local law enforcement authorities who have the tools to address the issue.
If you decide to work with law enforcement, make sure to do the following:
- Document the violent or abusive messages with print-outs or screenshots
- Be as specific as possible about why you are concerned
- Provide any context you have around who you believe might be involved, such as evidence of abusive behavior found on other websites
- Provide any information regarding previous threats you may have received
You can report the content to Twitter here.
Reach out to the people you trust
When dealing with negative or hurtful interactions, it can help to turn to family and friends for support and advice. Oftentimes, talking with your relatives or a close friend may help you figure out how you want to handle the situation or let you express your feelings so you can move on.
Help others
Trying to figure out how to help someone in such a situation can be daunting. This Twitter Support article offers some suggestions for how to help a friend or family member with online abuse.
If you see a violent or abusive message directed at someone else, communicate your concern to the recipient and encourage them to contact Twitter and their local authorities.
There are also many online safety resources that can help.
How do I report abusive content on Twitter?
Anyone can report abusive behavior directly from a Tweet, profile, or Direct Message.
To report a Tweet:
- Navigate to the Tweet you’d like to report on twitter.com or from the Twitter for iOS or Android app.
- Click or tap the gear icon.
- Select Report.
- Select It’s abusive or harmful.
- Next, we’ll ask you to provide more information about the issue you’re reporting. We may also ask you to select additional Tweets from the account you’re reporting so we have better context to evaluate your report.
- We will include the text of the Tweets you reported in our follow-up emails and notifications to you. To opt-out of receiving this information, please uncheck the box next to Updates about this report can show these Tweets.
- Once you’ve submitted your report, we’ll provide recommendations for additional actions you can take to improve your Twitter experience.
To report an account:
- Go to the account profile and click or tap the gear icon (iOS), or tap the overflow icon (on twitter.com and Android).
- Select Report.
- Select They’re being abusive or harmful.
- Next, we’ll ask you to provide additional information about the issue you’re reporting. We may also ask you to select Tweets from that account so we have better context to evaluate your report.
- We will include the text of the Tweets you reported in our follow-up emails and notifications to you. To opt-out of receiving this information, please uncheck the box next to Updates about this report can show these Tweets.
- Once you’ve submitted your report, we’ll provide recommendations for additional actions you can take to improve your Twitter experience.
Note: You can report an account that you have blocked or that has blocked you. Go to that account’s profile and click or tap the gear icon, or tap the overflow icon and then select Report.
Visit the new Safety Center at safety.twitter.com or follow them via @TwitterSafety