How to Report Facebook Harassment

Facebook has over 3 billion monthly active users and remains one of the most popular social media platforms. It has even transcended its original purpose, with users now able to join communities, buy or sell in the marketplace, and even find love. Facebook’s massive reach naturally attracts individuals with good and bad intentions.

41% of Americans have experienced online harassment. Furthermore, Meta reported a slight increase in Facebook harassment in the first quarter of 2025. Fortunately, Facebook has content moderation policies and a system to report harassment on Facebook along with other abusive behavior. To get started, let’s look at how Meta defines Facebook harassment.

How is Facebook Harassment Defined?

Meta’s community standards state that harassment of any form is prohibited across the company’s three platforms. Platform administrators prioritize protecting minors affected by harassment. However, there are two separate harassment policies for public figures and private individuals.

For Public Figures

Meta defines public figures as government officials, political candidates, users with over one million fans or followers on social media, and people who are heavily featured in the news. Public figures regularly receive criticism from millions of people. Hence, Facebook only focuses on removing extreme attacks against public figures or situations where the figure is tagged in comments and posts.

For Private Individuals

Meta provides heightened protection for private individuals. The company focuses on removing content intended to degrade or shame. However, Facebook also has a self-reporting feature for users to notify the platform of any abusive behavior.

How to Report Harassment on Facebook

You should always report harassment on Facebook when you come across it. As a result, the abuser’s profile can be removed before they are able to harm anyone else. You can report posts, profiles, messages, and comments.

For Posts

If you are looking to report posts on your timeline, follow these steps:

1. Click the three dots in the top right corner.
2. Select “Report” from the menu.
3. When prompted with “Why are you reporting this photo?”, choose the harassment option.
4. Under “How is it harassment or abuse?”, choose the option that best fits your circumstance.
5. If you choose “Harassment or abuse”, you’ll be asked “Who is being harassed?” Choose the appropriate answer.

For Profiles

If you are looking to report a profile for Facebook harassment, follow these steps:

1. Visit the
2. Click the three dots in the top right corner.
3. Select “Report Profile” from the menu.
4. When prompted with “What do you want to report?”, choose “Something about this profile”.
5. Under “Why are you reporting this profile”, select the harassment option.
6. When asked “How is it harassment or abuse?”, choose the appropriate option for your situation.
7. If you choose the harassment option, then select “Who is being harassed?” Select the response that best applies.

For Messages

To report an interaction on mobile, follow these steps:

1. Press and hold a message until menu options appear.
2. Select “More” and then “Report”.
3. From there, select “Harassment” and then “Submit”.

To report an interaction on a computer, follow these steps:

1. Look for the three dots next to the message.
2. Click on “Report” and then “Harassment”.

For Comments

To report a comment on mobile, follow these steps:

1. Select “Report” from the menu.
2. When prompted with “Why are you reporting this comment?”, choose the harassment option.
3. Under “How is it harassment or abuse?”, choose the option that best fits your circumstance.
4. If you choose “Harassment or abuse”, you’ll be asked “Who is being harassed?” Choose the appropriate answer.

To report a comment on a computer, follow these steps:

1. Look for the three dots next to the comment.
2. Select “Report” from the menu.
3. You will be prompted with “Why are you reporting this comment?”. Choose the harassment option.
4. Under “How is it harassment or abuse?”, choose the option that best fits your circumstance.
5. If you choose “Harassment or abuse”, you’ll be asked “Who is being harassed?” Choose the appropriate answer.

Other Ways to Respond to Facebook Harassment

Harassment can take many forms. Some harassment can be minor annoyances while others can be extremely serious. It’s important to always report harassment on Facebook. However, you may need to take more steps for more severe cases of harassment. Here are a few other steps you can take to respond to Facebook harassment.

Preserve Evidence

Online harassers will hide behind anonymity to act without fear of repercussions. But digital investigators can trace the digital data left behind by the perpetrator, discovering their geolocation and identity. It’s important to have evidence of the harassment to give investigators a place to start. Make sure to take screenshots of messages, the profiles involved, and anything relevant to the crime.

Adjust Privacy Settings

Your profile and posts can unintentionally reveal a lot about you. Bad actors will often be able to see your birthday, hometown, family members, and more. Fortunately, Facebook offers customizable privacy settings that allow users to control what information appears on your profile as well as who can see your posts.

You should also set your profile to private, limiting the amount of exposure to strangers. Make sure to vet your friends list to ensure that it only includes people you trust. In Facebook Messenger, you can manage who can message you directly by adjusting the settings under “Privacy & Safety”.

Contact Law Enforcement for Extreme Cases

Law enforcement is a valuable resource for victims dealing with severe cases of harassment. Police can help you file an official report that can support future legal processes like lawsuits or court proceedings. They can also trace the perpetrator’s digital footprint to discover their geolocation and identity. This is important since police can’t take action against an anonymous perpetrator.

You should also report harassment on Facebook to the FBI. The FBI runs the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), the national center for online crime reporting. They have jurisdiction across state lines and even have relationships with law enforcement in other countries. You can report Facebook harassment to the Harassment Helpline.