Social Media Resources
While social media can offer ways for students to connect and get to know others, it can also be a source of stress and anxiety. These resources can assist you in learning how to protect your information and report concerns if you choose to engage in social media platforms. One of the most important things to remember about sharing any images, information, or comments through social media is that once you send or post it, it may be archived or others can screenshot it and may utilize in another setting. This includes unofficial group chats, dating sites, and other social media applications. Engaging in social media applications that allow for anonymous posts, accepting invitations to connect from people outside your friends/family, or allowing your accounts to be accessible to the public can also invite comments or posts that you did not welcome or invite. Rumors, mean comments, and other inappropriate communications may be outside the scope of Title IX or NSU's policies (and in some case may be legally permitted forms of expression) but may still violate the user guidelines for a particular site.
Protecting Yourself
- StopBullying.gov is a website managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services which offers extensive information about preventing and addressing cyberbullying and other forms of bullying.
- A Technology Safety & Privacy Toolkit is offered by the National Network to End Domestic Violence, with information about basic technology safety, location tracking, stalkerware, devices, and apps.
- Technology Safety tips are offered by the Victim Connect Resource Center. This includes information about passwords, identity control and unwanted calls.
- Internet Safety tips for victims of domestic or dating violence are offered by the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
Social Media User Guidelines
Below are some links to the help centers and terms of service for some of the more well known social media sites so you can learn about what is expected of you as a user and about your options for reporting misuse directed towards you. In addition to blocking someone from communicating with you or ceasing to engage in a particular application, you may also want to report the user's communication to the appropriate officials who oversee the application.
Instagram
- Prohibits credible threats, hate speech, threatening to post intimate images, and content that targets people to degrade or shame them
- Link to Instagram's built-in reporting option. You can still make a report even without an account.
- Information about how to delete and turn off comments, which is useful if posting information publicly.
Facebook
- Specifically indicates they will "remove content that's meant to degrade or shame, including, for example, claims about someone's sexual personal activity.”
- Created in collaboration with anti-bullying organizations, acknowledges that context is important when determining whether a comment is bullying or joking
Twitter
- Describes Abusive Behavior, defined as "an attempt to harass, intimidate, or silence someone else’s voice.”
Snapchat- Link to the in-app reporting feature or reporting form
TikTok
- Community Guidelines provide a common code of conduct to promote a welcoming space at TikTok
Discord
Safety Principles and Policies
- Directs users to reach out to the server’s moderators for issues that happen on a server, and provides instructions to block any users you don’t want to interact with anymore. If something happened in a Direct Message or contacting the moderators doesn’t help,there is a Report Form.
Reddit
-
Users can report any violation of their Content Policy or a community’s rules, or block a specific account by:
- On the iOS or Android app, report a post or comment by tapping the … menu then selecting Report.
- On the web, report a post or comment by clicking on the Report button underneath it.
- On the iOS or Android app, report a post or comment by tapping the … menu then selecting Report.
Understanding Defamation, Libel, and Slander
When a law has been broken, there may be options for recourse available. However, not every mean comment posted online rises to the level of a violation of the law. Understanding where these boundaries are can help students learn about the options that may be available to them outside of the university's policies and procedures.
Speaking Out about Sexual Assault
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) provides links to several guides for those considering speaking out publicly about their own experiences with sexual violence.