Ask Sam letter

Hi there,

Thanks for writing to tell me about what’s going on for you. It sounds like you have had a bad experience on Facebook and you want to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

The internet and social networking sites like Facebook can be great for keeping in touch with people and making new friends. However, there can be some risks in using these sites, so it’s important to know how to stay safe.

Firstly, sometimes people on Facebook aren’t who they say they are. This can make it dangerous to accept friend requests from people you don’t know. Sometimes adults, or even other young people, may set up fake accounts and send inappropriate messages or images. This is wrong. You are right in saying that you don’t want to see any more of this. You should be able to enjoy Facebook without worrying about seeing things you don’t want to see. There are some things you can do to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

Facebook now has a reporting tool which lets you report anything abusive or inappropriate. Facebook can then block the person or make sure that the inappropriate images are deleted. You can find out more about how to use reporting here.

Another way to stop this from happening is blocking or unfriending the person who sent the image and message. It might also be a good idea to make your own Facebook page private so that only your friends can view your page and contact you. You can find more information on privacy here.

It’s also a really good idea to make sure that the people in your friends list are only people that you actually know. If you have any “strangers” in your friends list it might be a good idea to unfriend them. This will mean that the only people who can send you messages and pictures are people who you actually know and trust.

We have some more information on staying safe online here. Thinkuknow is also a really good website for advice on staying safe online. This site gives you advice on who you can talk to if you’d like to report being sent inappropriate images or messages online. You won’t get in any trouble if you want to report this. The picture was sent to you, out of your control. It was not your fault.

Thanks again for writing to me. You have been very brave and mature to ask what you should do. If you feel like you need any more information or advice you could speak with a ChildLine counsellor by calling 0800 1111 or by having a 1-2-1 chat.

Take care,
Sam