How do I report abusive messages on Facebook Messenger?

Facebook Messenger allows you to have conversations with your friends and connect with people around the world. Unfortunately, sometimes people may send abusive or harassing messages on Messenger that violate Facebook’s Community Standards. If you receive an abusive or harassing message on Messenger, you can report it to Facebook so they can take appropriate action.

What types of messages can I report on Messenger?

Here are some examples of abusive messages you can report on Messenger:

Threats of violence or physical harm

Hate speech or attacks based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, sex, gender, gender identity, or disability or serious disease
Harassing messages or threats of unwanted sexual contact
Sexually explicit content shared without permission

Scams or extortion attempts
Spam messages from fake accounts

Essentially, any message sent with the intent to harass, threaten, or scam another person violates Facebook’s rules and should be reported.

How do I report an abusive or harassing Messenger message?

Reporting abusive Messenger messages is easy and can be done right within your Messenger app by following these steps:

Open the Messenger conversation with the abusive message.
Tap and hold on the abusive message you want to report.

Tap “Report” from the pop-up menu.
Select the option “Abusive content”.
Tap “Report Message” to confirm.

You’ll see a confirmation that your report has been sent to Facebook for review. Facebook may follow up with you if they need any additional details about the abusive content.

What happens after I report an abusive Facebook Messenger message?

Once you report an abusive Messenger message, here’s what happens:

Your individual report is sent to Facebook for review by their Community Operations team.

Facebook investigates the content you reported and the context around it.
If the content violates Facebook’s Community Standards, they will take appropriate action against the sender. This can include removing the abusive message, disabling the sender’s account, or restricting their ability to communicate on Messenger.
For privacy reasons, Facebook cannot share details with you on the specific action taken against the sender.

If more people report the same abusive message or sender, it flags the issue as higher priority for Facebook to review.
Your identity as the person who reported the message remains anonymous to the sender.

So in summary, when you report an abusive Messenger message, you are helping Facebook identify issues that violate policies so they can take action to keep their platforms safe. Your report helps improve the Messenger experience for yourself and others.

What if I’m being repeatedly harassed by the same person on Messenger?

If someone is repeatedly sending you abusive or harassing messages on Messenger, take these steps:

Report each abusive message individually using the steps outlined above.
Block the harassing sender so you no longer receive their messages.

Save screenshots as evidence of harassment over time in case you need to provide it to Facebook.
Report the harassing account to Facebook for violating Community Standards.
Consider reporting ongoing harassment to your local law enforcement if you feel threatened or unsafe.

Repeated harassment from the same person is a serious violation of Facebook’s policies. By reporting each incident and the account, you give Facebook’s team the information they need to investigate and shut down abusive behavior on their platform.

What types of messages should I avoid reporting on Messenger?

Only report messages that clearly violate Facebook’s rules against harassment, threats, hate speech, sexually explicit content, and spam. Here are some examples of messages you should avoid reporting:

Friendly banter or good-natured teasing between friends

Constructive criticism or disagreement on an issue
Flirting or romantic advances (unless they are unwanted and persistent)
Jokes or satirical content

Unsupported opinions you simply disagree with

Essentially, don’t report messages just because you dislike or disagree with them. Only flag truly abusive content so that Facebook can focus on addressing policy violations that aim to harm others.

What happens if I report messages that don’t violate policies?

If you submit false or frivolous reports on Messenger that don’t actually violate Facebook’s rules, here’s what can happen:

Your reports will be dismissed after review as not containing policy-violating content.
If you send multiple invalid reports, Facebook may ignore future reports from your account.
You could risk having your own Facebook or Messenger account disabled for submitting false reports.

So stick to reporting clear instances of harassment, threats, hate speech, sexual content, and spam. Don’t use the reporting tool in an attempt to get someone blocked that you merely dislike or disagree with.

Can I report someone’s entire Messenger account?

Yes, in addition to reporting individual abusive messages, you can report a Messenger user’s entire account if you believe they are harassing you or others, spreading hate, or violating other Facebook policies. Here’s how:

Open your Messenger conversation with the problematic user.

Tap their name at the top of the conversation.
Tap the Options icon (three dots on iOS or three lines on Android).
Select “Report”.

Choose the option “Report account” and select relevant policies they have violated.
Tap “Submit Report”.

Reporting a user’s entire account can help Facebook identify people deliberately engaging in abusive behavior on Messenger so they can shut down their account.

What types of evidence help Facebook take action against abuse?

Providing relevant evidence gives Facebook more details to investigate and confirm that a policy violation occurred. Here are some types that are most helpful:

Screenshots – Capture screenshots showing full messages in context, as this contains important details.
Links – Send links to any online content like profiles that demonstrate harassment or hate speech.

Patterns – Note if it’s repeated behavior from the same person and give dates.
Details – Include specifics on what happened, using examples from messages.

Giving context helps Facebook understand the nature and extent of abuse, resulting in appropriate action being taken against the violator.

What measures does Facebook take to prevent Messenger abuse?

Facebook utilizes both proactive protections and reactive user reporting to combat abuse on Messenger. Here are some of their preventative measures:

Automated filtering of messages likely to contain harassment, hate speech, and spam.
Algorithms to detect accounts sending abusive messages at scale.

Limits on message forwarding and group messaging to curb spam.
Required authentication of accounts trying to quickly message lots of users.
Banning features like “Message Requests” for people who violate policies.

Still, user reporting remains crucial to identify policy violations Facebook’s technology may miss. Your reports make Messenger safer.

Can I request updates from Facebook on reports I’ve submitted?

Due to privacy limitations, Facebook does not share specifics with individual users on the outcomes of reports they submit. However, they do have a few notification options:

You’ll get a confirmation message when you submit a report that it’s been received.

If Facebook disables accounts due to multiple user reports, they may notify those users.
Pages with multiple offenses may get notifications that content was removed.
You can contact Facebook Support with your report reference ID for an update.

But in most cases, Facebook does not inform users on specific actions taken against individual pieces of content or accounts you report. Their focus is on resolving issues efficiently for the whole community.

What should I do if Facebook doesn’t remove content I reported?

If you report a Messenger message but Facebook leaves it up after reviewing, here are some steps to take:

Double check that the content clearly violates Facebook’s policies. If it seems borderline, that may be why it wasn’t removed.

Submit the report again with additional context and evidence in case it helps reviewers understand why the content is abusive.
Use the “Request Review” option on Facebook to ask for another look at specific content.
Reach out to Facebook Support if the issue is urgent or ongoing harassment.

Consider blocking the abusive user so you no longer have to see the content.

While Facebook won’t always remove content you report, continuing to draw attention to abuse can help get it addressed either through improved review processes or account-level actions.

Can I get notified if someone I reported gets banned?

Because of privacy limitations, Facebook will not inform you if specific accounts you report to them end up being disabled or banned from Messenger. However, here are some signs that action was likely taken against an abusive user you reported:

The reported messages disappear from your Messenger history.
You are no longer able to view the user’s profile or search for their account.
The user stops sending you additional abusive messages.

The user tells you they were banned or had their account disabled.

While Facebook won’t confirm they took action, these signals suggest reporting the abusive account likely helped get their harassment shut down across Messenger.

Can I appeal if Facebook wrongly disables my Messenger account?

If Facebook mistakenly disables your Messenger account after it was reported by someone else, you can appeal the decision and ask to have your access restored. Here is the process to request an appeal:

Go to the Facebook Help Center and search for “My account is disabled.”
Select “My personal account is disabled” and choose Messenger.
Click the link to appeal the disabling of your account.

Select “I think my account was disabled by mistake.”
Explain clearly why you believe the disable was an error.
Provide any evidence that can back up your appeal.

Facebook reviews appeals and can reinstate accounts that were incorrectly disabled. Be patient as it may take a few days to get a response on your appeal status.

Can I get sued or charged for reporting abusive Messenger messages?

You cannot face civil or criminal charges just for submitting a good faith report about another Messenger user harassing you or violating Facebook policies. Under Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act, Facebook themselves are considered legally responsible for any unlawful content on their platforms, not users who report it. Some key protections:

You have immunity from lawsuits for reporting abusive content to Facebook.

Law enforcement will not investigate or charge you just for submitting a report.
The abusive sender has no grounds to sue you simply because you reported their messages.
Facebook will not provide your personal information to an abusive sender you reported.

So you can feel safe about reporting any messages containing harassing or threatening speech, nudity, hate speech, and other policy violations. Focus on documenting evidence and explaining why the content is abusive so Facebook can address it.

Conclusion

Facebook Messenger provides a convenient way to stay in touch with friends and family online. However, some users unfortunately abuse the platform by sending harassing, threatening, or offensive messages. If you receive abusive messages on Messenger, promptly report them using the in-app reporting tools. Document evidence clearly showing the policy violation so Facebook’s team can investigate and take appropriate action against the harassing account. With user vigilance in reporting abuse, we can help keep Messenger safe and welcoming for everyone.