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Tools
Let’s Start Now
We provide tools that help you stay safe while using Facebook. You’ll also find other safety resources here to help you whenever and however you use the internet.
Tools
Update Your Account Information
We recommend that you periodically review your account information, including your email and password, and make adjustments as needed.
Protect Your Account
As always, we recommend that you change your password periodically to stay safe online. If you think your account has been compromised or if someone else has access to it, we recommend resetting your password. To reset your password:
- Click Account at the top of any Facebook page.
- In the dropdown menu that appears, select Account Settings.
- Scroll down to Password, click the “change” link, and follow the instructions.
Read more about creating a strong password.
Control Who Sees Your Information
Use your privacy settings to control who gets to see your posts and timeline. You can also specify privacy for a specific message or post, and control how much information you share with applications (such as games and quizzes). To get to your privacy settings, click the lock icon at the top right corner of most pages on Facebook.
Learn more about using applications safely.
Unfriending Someone
You can remove a connection to a friend that you are no longer comfortable sharing with. If you’d like to remove a friend, navigate to the person’s timeline and click the gear icon on the right side of their timeline and select "Unfriend." If you decide later that you’d like to be friends later, you can send them a friend request.
Blocking Someone
If you are being harassed by someone or if you just don't want be visible to them on Facebook, you can block them from your timeline. When you block someone, it breaks all ties you have with them (friendship connections, friend details, etc.). The two of you will no longer be able to see each other's timelines or find each other's timelines in search results. To block someone, go to the block list in your Privacy Settings, use the "Report/Block" option under the gear icon on the right side of their timeline, or use the Report link associated with the message in your inbox (or found on any content they post).
Report Abusive or Offensive Content
Tell us about any content that violates the Facebook Terms. The most efficient way to report abuse is to do it right where it occurs on Facebook, using the “Report” link near the post, timeline or Page.
If you receive a harassing message from one of your Facebook friends, you can click the “Report” link next to the sender’s name on the message, and remove the person as a friend. Reporting the message as harassing will automatically add the person to your block list. You can also use the "Report/Block" option that appears under the gear icon on the top right of every person’s timeline.
Reports are confidential. People you report won’t know that they’ve been reported. After you submit a report, we’ll investigate the issue and determine whether or not the content should be removed based on the Facebook Terms. We research each report to decide the appropriate course of action.
Social Reporting
Social Reporting is a feature of the reporting tool that helps you resolve issues with posts, timelines or other content on the site. If you are reporting content you don't like, but that doesn't violate the Facebook Terms, we make it easy for you to communicate with the person who posted it. For example, if you are reporting a photo of yourself, you can easily send the person who posted it a message letting them know you don't like it. In most cases, they will take the photo down if you ask.
In cases of bullying or harassment, where you don’t feel comfortable reaching out to the person directly, you can use social reporting to get help from a parent, teacher or trusted friend. You can share that piece of content and a message about the situation with someone you trust. You also have the option to block the person who posted the content and report it to Facebook so we can take action, if appropriate.
Social Reporting can also be used to help a friend in need. Click here to learn more about how to report potentially suicidal content as well as find out about other suicide prevention resources on Facebook.
Advanced Security Features
We offer a number of security features that help keep your personal information private, including remote logout, secure browsing, one-time password and more. Find all of these features on your Account Settings page, in the Account Security section.
Remote Session Management
Use remote session management to close any Facebook session that you may have left active on any computer or device, such as one at a cafe or your friend’s house.
Secure Browsing
We now use secure connections, or HTTPS, by default for all users. This feature is especially useful if you use Facebook from unsecured public networks, such as cafes or libraries. Read more about Facebook HTTPS.
One-Time Passwords
One-time passwords also make it safer to use computers at schools, libraries and other public places. Rather than use your regular Facebook password, we can text you a one-time password to use instead. To get one, text "otp" to 32665 on your mobile phone (U.S. only), and you'll receive a password that expires in 20 minutes, and you can only use once. (In order to access this feature, you'll need a mobile phone number in your account.)
More on Facebook Security
The Facebook Security page provides information and updates on what we’re doing to help you protect your account, as well as tips and advice on how to avoid threats like viruses, spam, phishing and malware. You can 'like' the Facebook Security page and make security a regular part of your Facebook experience.
Resources
Facebook Safety Advisory Board
We work with a diverse set of experts and organizations devoted to online safety to bring the best resources to Facebook and advise us on safety issues.
- Childnet International works with organizations around the world to coordinate efforts and help make the internet a great and safe place for children.
- Connect Safely is an online forum designed to give teens and parents a voice in the public discussion about youth online. It also offers social-media safety tips for teens and parents, the latest youth-tech news, and many other resources.
- Family Safety Online Institute works to make the online world safer for kids and families by identifying and promoting best practices, tools and methods in the field of online safety that also respect free expression.
- The National Network to End Domestic Violence offers a range of programs and initiatives to address the complex causes and far-reaching consequences of domestic violence.
- WiredSafety is a cyber-neighborhood watch run entirely by volunteers around the world. Three popular programs are STOP cyberbullying, Teenangels, and WiredKids.
Suicide Prevention Resources
It is our goal to make sure people can connect to the people and resources they need in times of distress. We also want to ensure people have tools to help a friend in need. Please see this guide for help with identifying signs of distress.
If you live in Canada, please click here to view a guide with local resources.
If you live in Austria, please click here to view a guide with local resources.
The Facebook Network of Support
In conjunction with MTV’s “A Thin Line” campaign, Facebook partners with the following team of national organizations to combat anti-LGBT cyberbullying. Read more about the Network of Support.
- A Thin Line
- The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
- The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
- The Human Rights Campaign
- The Trevor Project
- Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays
Additional Web Resources
Take an active role in your family’s safety by educating yourself with the material on these websites.