Report the material through the platform where it appears. If it suggests someone may be in immediate danger and you can identify or locate them, contact local emergency services as well; platform reporting is not a substitute for urgent help. Don’t repost, quote, investigate, or share links to harmful instructions or products. If the content is upsetting, close it and speak with someone you trust.
First, decide whether someone may be in immediate danger
Look for signs that a person may need urgent help, rather than trying to determine their intentions from a single phrase or image. A post that appears to describe an immediate plan or current danger calls for a different response from a general discussion or a troubling but non-urgent post.
If the person may be at immediate risk
- Contact local emergency services if you can identify or locate the person. Use the emergency route for the place where the person is, if you know it. Emergency numbers differ by country; 999 is relevant to the UK guidance cited here, not a universal number.
- Report the post to the platform too. Give the platform a chance to review the material, but do not wait for that process before seeking emergency help when the risk appears immediate.
- If you know the person, encourage urgent help and tell someone trusted. You can also notify someone close to them who may be able to check in or help them access support.
You do not have to assess or manage a crisis by yourself. Samaritans’ practitioner guidance advises against responding to harmful online content about suicide or self-harm alone. A public reader can report what they have seen, alert a trusted person, and offer support if they feel able; responsibility for ensuring another person’s safety does not rest on one bystander.
If you cannot identify or locate the person
Report the post to the service hosting it. If you know someone who may be connected to the person or able to help, tell them what concerns you. Do not try to identify the poster by searching for private details, contacting strangers, or moving the material into other spaces. If you cannot tell whether the risk is immediate, you can still report the content and consult someone you trust rather than handling the uncertainty alone.
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What content should be reported?
Samaritans advises reporting online material that worries you, even when you are not sure whether it breaks a platform’s rules. In particular, report material that:
- suggests a user needs urgent help;
- encourages or promotes self-harm or suicide, including through a challenge;
- provides detailed information about methods; or
- contains graphic images or videos.
Instructions or products presented as ways to harm oneself warrant a report, rather than a repost or a public warning that reproduces the details. You do not need to prove a policy violation before reporting. The platform reviews a report under its own rules, and the process and outcome vary by service. Reporting does not guarantee removal.
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How to report it without spreading it further
- Use the reporting option on the service where you found it. Choose the closest available category for self-harm, suicide, dangerous content, or urgent safety concerns. Menu names differ, so use the platform’s current reporting flow rather than relying on instructions for another service.
- Describe the concern briefly and factually. If there is a text field, state that the content appears to encourage self-harm, provide detailed instructions, show graphic material, or suggest immediate danger—whichever applies. Avoid repeating method details or copying the harmful content into your explanation.
- Include only information the form requests and that is safe to provide. If the post indicates immediate danger and you know identifying or location information, pass relevant information to emergency services. Don’t investigate or try to gather more.
- Report separate appearances where appropriate. If the same material is posted in multiple places, report it on each service where you encounter it. If the reporting route is unclear or the material keeps appearing, Samaritans directs people to Report Harmful Content for platform-specific reporting guidance.
- Step away after submitting the report. You do not need to keep checking the post or its replies. If you are distressed, close the app or page and seek support.
Do not assume a report is anonymous. Services handle reports differently, and reporting a private message may make it apparent to the other user that the message was reported. If you are concerned about your own safety or privacy, use the platform’s reporting information to understand what may be visible before taking further action, and speak with someone trusted.
Responding when you know the person
If the person is someone you know, your response can be human and direct without turning you into their sole support. If you feel comfortable, let them know you are concerned and encourage them to seek urgent help if they may be in immediate danger. Tell a trusted person or someone close to them who can help. You can report the post whether or not you contact the person.
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Avoid arguing with the post, challenging the person publicly, demanding explanations, or promising to keep a serious safety concern secret. Do not take on the role of investigating what happened or monitoring every account. If the situation appears urgent, prioritize emergency services and the people who can provide real-world support.
If you do not know the person, reporting and notifying someone trusted may be the most appropriate steps. You are not required to start a conversation with a stranger or put yourself in a situation that feels unsafe. Samaritans’ advice distinguishes between offering support when you are able and carrying responsibility for another person’s safety; the latter is not a bystander’s job.
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Distinguish harmful material from supportive discussion
Not every mention of self-harm or suicide is harmful. People may discuss difficult experiences or seek support online. A useful distinction is whether the material offers help and connection, or instead encourages harm, supplies detailed methods, includes graphic imagery, or signals credible immediate danger.
Do not report solely because a post mentions the subject if it is a supportive discussion without those concerning features. At the same time, you do not need certainty about a rule violation to report something that worries you. Leave the platform to review the post under its policies rather than trying to decide whether every mention should be removed.
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Whatever the apparent context, avoid amplifying material that could lead other people to harmful instructions or products. Do not quote it in a post, make a compilation, or link to the source as a warning. Samaritans’ guidance for reporting on this subject advises against directing readers to harmful sites, challenges, or sources of products and methods.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Look after yourself after seeing upsetting material
Seeing graphic or encouraging content can be distressing, including when you found it by accident or are trying to help somebody else. You can close the screen, switch to different content, take a break, and talk with someone you trust. If a particular account or feed keeps exposing you to the material, blocking or unfollowing it and reporting the content can help reduce further exposure.
- Do not keep viewing or searching for the material to confirm how upsetting it is.
- Do not download, save, or forward it as a way to warn others.
- Ask someone trusted to help you decide what to do if you feel overwhelmed or unsure.
- Step back from trying to help online if it is affecting your wellbeing.
These steps are not a failure to help. Reporting and passing a concern to an appropriate person can be enough; you can set limits on how much material you view and how much responsibility you take on.
Choose the right support route for your location
Emergency services and crisis support are local. Contact emergency services when someone appears to be at immediate risk and you can identify or locate them. For non-emergency emotional support, use a service appropriate to the person’s location. Samaritans lists 116 123 for the UK and Republic of Ireland; it is not a universal emergency number. If you are elsewhere, check the relevant local crisis-support service rather than assuming a number applies across borders.
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Ofcom’s explanation of online suicide and self-harm protections concerns services regulated in the UK. It describes UK Online Safety Act requirements, including reporting and complaints processes for illegal suicide and self-harm material and protections for children. Those are UK regulatory provisions, not a guarantee that every platform uses the same reporting categories or process worldwide.
Quick Recap
Quick decision guide
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| A post suggests someone is in immediate danger, and you can identify or locate them | Contact local emergency services, report the post to the platform, and tell someone trusted. If you know the person, encourage urgent help and notify someone close to them. |
| Instructions, encouragement, graphic material, or a harmful product promotion, with no clear immediate danger | Report it on the service where it appears. Do not repost, quote, or link to it. |
| A supportive discussion that mentions self-harm or suicide without encouragement, detailed methods, graphic content, or an urgent-risk signal | Do not assume that the mention alone makes it harmful. Consider the context and report if something genuinely worries you. |
| The reporting process is unclear or the material keeps appearing in multiple places | Use the platform’s reporting guidance; Samaritans points readers to Report Harmful Content for step-by-step platform guidance. |
| You feel distressed by what you have seen | Close the content, take a break, and talk to someone you trust. Consider blocking, unfollowing, or reporting to reduce exposure. |
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