One of the most important things you can do to help limit potentially harmful content and activity on Snapchat is to reach out to us when you encounter something that makes you uncomfortable. All you need to do is press and hold on the piece of content or the chat message, and a menu will appear. Then, tap “Report” to see a list of options. You will then be prompted to provide certain information. In general, if you report a piece of media in-app, a copy of it will automatically be included with your report. When you report a chat message, some of the preceding messages will also be automatically included, so we have context about what occurred.

Our safety teams work 24/7 to review reports made on Snapchat or through our Support Site, and they will take action on reported content and accounts that violate our policies, including our Community Guidelines, or our Terms of Service. It’s important to remember that reporting is confidential and the account-holder you reported won’t be told who reported them. If you encounter anything that appears to be illegal or dangerous, or if you have reason to believe someone is at risk of harm or self-harm, contact local law enforcement immediately and then report it to Snapchat, as well. 

You can read through our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service to familiarize yourself with what content is prohibited on Snapchat. A good rule of thumb: if what you’re saying could create an unsafe or negative experience for someone, it’s better left unsaid. 

Also, if you see something you don’t like on Snapchat, but it may not violate our Community Guidelines, you can choose to unsubscribe, hide the content, or unfriend or block the sender.

Is reporting on Snapchat confidential? 

Yes. We do not tell other Snapchatters (including the reported account-holder) when you make a report. We generally inform the reported account-holder in-app and/or via email if we remove their content or take action on their account, but our policy is not to inform them about your report, even if they appeal our decision.

Can I submit a report anonymously? 

Yes. The reporting form available on our Support Site offers you the option to provide your name, but it does not require that information. The form also requests that you provide your Snapchat username, or the username of the account you are reporting on behalf of or which interacted with the account you are reporting, but if you do not wish to provide a username, you may write “none”. Please note that not providing a username may limit our ability to investigate your report.

You will be required to provide an email address so that we can contact you about your report. Please note that the option to report anonymously is not widely available in-app. Regardless of whether you opt to report anonymously, your reporting will be confidential (see “Is reporting on Snapchat confidential?,” above).

How will Snap communicate with me about my report? 

When you report a safety concern on Snapchat, you receive a confirmation that your report has been submitted. We’ll contact you at the email address on your Snapchat account or at the email address you provided if you submitted your report via our Support Site. Snapchatters can also check the status of their recent reports via the My Reports feature. 

Who reviews my submitted report? 

Our safety teams and systems work 24/7 to review your submitted report. 

How long will it take for Snap’s safety teams to review a report and make a decision?

Our review typically occurs within a matter of hours, but may take longer in certain cases.

What are possible outcomes of Snap’s review?

• If we confirm that the reported content or account violates Snapchat’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Service, we may then remove the content. In some cases, we may lock or delete the account, and report the offender to authorities, if appropriate. For certain public content, if we do not confirm a violation of our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service, but instead identify a violation of our Content Guidelines, we may take action against the content including removing it, limiting distribution, suspending, not promoting it, or restricting its availability to certain ages. Additional information about enforcement on Snapchat is available here.

• If we do not identify a violation of our policies or Terms of Service, then no further action is taken.

• In either case, we will inform you of our decision.

I reported something on Snapchat but it wasn’t taken down. Why is this? 

Not all reported content is removed. We remove content that violates our policies, including our Community Guidelines, or Terms of Service. If you see content that you don’t like, but is permitted according to our policies or Terms of Service, you can avoid seeing it by hiding the content, or blocking or removing the sender.