Unwanted contact
What is it?
Unwanted contact is any type of online communication that you find unpleasant or confronting.
The contact can come from online friends you don’t know or someone you know in the offline world.
Unwanted contact can include:
- being asked inappropriate or personal questions by someone you don’t know
- being sent offensive, confronting or obscene content
- being asked to send intimate pictures or do things online that make you feel uncomfortable
How do I deal with it?
- Tell someone you trust, like your mum, dad or another adult.
- Don’t respond and leave the site or chat session.
- Block the contact or remove them from your friends list.
- Change your profile settings so that your personal details are kept private.
- Don’t open messages from people you don’t know.
- Keep the evidence. This can be useful in tracking the person posting unsuitable material.
- Contact your ISP and/ or phone provider, or the website administrator. There are actions they can take to help.
Most importantly - Report it. Talk to an adult that you trust or to the police if there is a threat to your safety.
Suspicious online behaviour towards a child should be reported to the Australian Federal Police.
If you want to talk about a problem with cyberbullying, you can call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, visit Kids Helpline or contact the Cybersmart Online Helpline service.