What’s happened with your report

When you make a report, it’s sent anonymously to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to review. The IWF have reviewed your report and let us know whether they’re able to take action on it.

The message we’ve sent you will explain what’s happening with your report, and we’ve got information and support about what to do next.

Getting support after your report

Even after you’ve made a report, it can still help to get support. There are lots of ways to get help:

Dealing with pressure and blackmail

It’s never okay to be made to feel like you have to share a nude image or video. If someone starts threatening you and saying that they’ll share images if you don’t do what they say, that’s blackmail and it’s important to get support.

We know that someone might keep trying to blackmail or pressure you even after your report, perhaps they’re asking for more images, money or vouchers. We’re here to listen to you and support with what’s happening.

Whatever’s happening, you can always speak to a Childline counsellor.

Which sites can images and videos be taken down from?

The IWF will work to take down images and videos from anywhere that they’re available publicly online. Images and videos will usually be taken down within one working day, but this can sometimes take a little longer.

Once an image or video has been taken down from a site, they’ll also be able to stop it from being posted there ever again.

If you weren’t able to use ID for your report then your images and videos will still be taken down from most sites, but it can take a little longer.

The IWF aren’t able to take down images that are saved on someone else’s devices, or that are sent using encrypted networks like WhatsApp and Snapchat. If you’re worried about this, it can help to speak to us.

Will I know when an image is taken down?

The IWF are able to tell us whether they’re taking action on your report, but not which sites or apps your images and videos have been taken down from. Even though they can’t share exactly what’s happened, they will work as quickly as possible to take it down from anywhere it’s posted publicly.

It’s also important to remember that any videos or images aren’t just taken down, but the IWF continues to work to make sure they can’t be posted publicly again.

Why couldn’t the IWF take action on my image or video?

Content warning: This section includes graphic sexual descriptions.

The IWF are only allowed to take down reports that of under 18s and which contain nude images. This means that if they think it's very likely you could be over 18 and you’ve not been able to use ID, then they may not be able to action your report without proof of age.

Nudes of under 18s can be taken down because they’re illegal to share, create or save. A nude can include:

  • nude or semi-nude sexual posing
  • someone nude or semi-nude touching themselves in a sexual way
  • any sexual activity involving someone under 18
  • someone hurting someone else sexually
  • sexual activity that includes animals.

If an image isn’t sexual and doesn’t contain any of these things, then the IWF may not be able to action it.

Why have I been asked to report my image again?

The IWF takes down images and videos using technology that looks for exact or near matches to what you’ve submitted. This means that photos of other devices showing the content, screenshots, and thumbnails can be harder for the IWF to action.

Where possible, it is better if you can upload the original image or video. This helps IWF find the image more accurately.

You should never ask someone else to send you images or videos of yourself, as this could be considered a crime. Even if you don’t have the original image or video, the IWF will do everything they can to take it down where it’s posted.