Tackling problematic users

Some users are unfortunately unwilling to adjust their behaviour to align with your community values and policy. This article sets out what you can do to tackle them.

What is a problematic user?

A problematic user is a social media user who repeatedly breaks your Community Social Media policy, which Arwen is set up to monitor on your behalf.

Different ways you can tackle problematic users

Arwen's mission is to make social media safe and inclusive for everyone. We believe that blocking people, reporting them and other actions should be a last resort. Sadly though, some people persist with toxic behaviour, so the approach below includes sanctions that are an essential part of managing your Community. 

Note: Keep records

Whatever action you choose to take, you should keep records of the user's behaviour, so you can  let them know what is unacceptable, and if you choose to take further actions, you will need to show records to the networks or authorities.

1. Engage the user to change their behaviour

We always recommend starting here. Message the user and cover the following:

• Start with a positive. Thank them for being a part of your community. Sometimes a period of bad online behaviour can reflect a difficult episode in an individual's life. 
• Tell them they've been seen. Let them know you have noticed their behaviour and language and that it is in breach of your Community Social Media policy.
• Tell them what's acceptable and what isn't. Note that their behaviour is the exception to the norm - with the vast majority of people in the community enjoying a positive dialogue.
• Let them know what will happen if they continue to behave this way, setting out the sanctions below. Some of our clients use a 'three strikes and your out' policy, to provide individuals with a series of opportunities to change their behaviour.
• Point them to a copy of your Community Social Media policy on your website or elsewhere.

This approach achieves three things:

1. It breaks their anonymity bubble. Research shows that people show remorse and shame when they are called out for the behaviour. This could be enough to make them change their behaviour.
2. It denormalises their behaviour. It helps them see that their behaviour is not normal, but is out of step with other members of the community. Often problematic users will be surrounded by other toxic content and have come to see that it is normal. This is another bubble to pop.
3. It formalises your position. Social media has been a free-for-all for a long time, so this approach gently makes it clear that you are taking control of the community in a sober and objective way, giving them a clear chance to adapt their behaviour.

If this fails, and the individual continues with their toxic behaviour, you have more options.

2. Block the user from your community

Blocking the user means slightly different things on different networks, but broadly it excludes someone from your community, meaning they won't see your posts and won't be able to comment on them. As a result their toxic content won't be seen by your other followers, unless they directly follow that individual.

Block a user on Twitter

Navigate to their profile > Open the menu in the top right > Select the action you want to take. (You can also perform some of these functions from the menu in the top right of a particular tweet.) 

Block a user on Instagram

Navigate to their profile > Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right > Tap “Block” or “Report.”

Block a user on Facebook

Go to their page > Click the three-dot menu icon near the top right of the profile > Choose “Block.” To unfriend them, use the adjacent menu with the person-shaped icon and select “Unfriend.” (If you don’t block them they can still contact you, and you may see them around the site.)

3. Report the user to the network

If you feel that the behaviour of a user, or one of their messages, is breaking the network's own rules, you can also report them. This also allows the network to identify individuals who are behaving in a toxic way elsewhere, and in certain case, remove them from the entire network.

• • Report a user: Navigate to their profile > Open the menu in the top right > Select the action you want to take. (You can also perform some of these functions from the menu in the top right of a particular tweet.) 
  • Report a tweet: Open the menu in the top right of the tweet > Tap "Report Tweet."
  Reporting a user to Instagram 
  • Report a post: Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right of the post > Report. 
  • Report a story: Tap the three-dot menu icon in the “Send Message” field > Report.
  • Report a user: Navigate to their profile > Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right > Tap “Block” or “Report.”
  Reporting a user to Facebook
  • Report a post: Open the menu in the top right corner of one the post > Click on "Find Support Or Report Post."
  • Report a user or a group: Navigate to their page > Click the three dot menu icon near the top right of the profile > Report.

4. Report the user to the authorities

Where the content is illegal you can report it to the authorities. In the UK the following laws exist to protect individuals from hate and threatening behaviour.

• The Defamation Act 2013,
• The Protection from Harassment Act 1997,
• The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988,
• The Human Rights Act 1998,
• The Data Protection Act 2018, and
• The General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016.
• The Protection from Harassment Act 1997,
• The Malicious Communications Act 1988,
• Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003, and
• The Computer Misuse Act 1990.

Get advice

It can be difficult to determine what is and isn't illegal, so we recommend consulting with a legal team. 

Report to the authorities

In the UK anyone can report a hate crime to Stop Hate UK https://www.stophateuk.org/report-hate-crime/.

Alternatively, you can contact your local police. Police forces are working hard to adapt their practices to handle online hate and abuse, yet some people still experience a disjointed response so you may need to be persistent to achieve the outcome you want.

5. Prosecute the user

In the most extreme circumstances, you might choose to privately prosecute individual users via a solicitor or legal team.