Safety & privacy
Online Harassment: What to Do and Who to Tell
The most effective way to deal with online harassment is to stop engaging, block and report the person, keep a record of what happened, and tighten your privacy so they have less to work with. When there are threats, stalking or extortion, bring in the platform and the police. Knowing how to deal with online harassment before it happens makes it far easier to act calmly when it does.
This playbook is for adults facing anything from one persistent stranger to repeated, organized abuse. It also covers the part people often skip: how harassment affects you, and what actually helps.
Step 1: Disengage instead of debating
Harassers want a reaction. Arguing, explaining yourself or firing back usually hands them more material and more reasons to continue.
- Stop replying, even to "just one last thing".
- Leave the space: close the chat, mute the thread, or press Next or Stop on a video chat.
- If you've already responded, that's fine. Stop now; it's never too late to go quiet.
Rudeness and harassment aren't the same. A one-off insult can often be shrugged off, and our guide on how to respond to rude people online covers those moments. Harassment is repeated, targeted or threatening, or it follows you from place to place.
Step 2: Block and report everywhere it happens
Blocking protects you now. Reporting creates a record and helps stop the same person targeting someone else.
- Choose the reason that fits best, such as harassment, threats or hate.
- Report every account involved, including obvious second accounts.
- Add a short note with context; moderators often see only the single message you report.
- Use mute, keyword filters and message-request controls where the platform has them.
On Omlet
Tap the flag on your partner's video, choose "Harassment or hate", add a note and the chat messages if you want, and press Report and skip. You move on immediately, moderators review it, and someone you report is never matched with you again on that device. Our guide to reporting someone on video chat walks through each option. If the person looks under 18, choose "Looks under 18" instead and see what to do if someone seems underage.
Because Omlet is one-to-one with no friends list, follows or profiles, nobody can message you after a chat ends unless you've shared a way to reach you elsewhere.
Step 3: Keep records someone can act on
Even if you don't plan to go to the police now, good records make every later step easier.
| Keep this | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Screenshots showing the username, date and message | Proves what was said, and by which account |
| Links to profiles and posts | Usernames change; links help platforms find the account |
| A dated log of each incident | Shows a pattern, which platforms and police look for |
| Report confirmations and ticket numbers | Lets you follow up or escalate |
| Notes on the impact, like missed work or changed routines | Useful if you seek legal help or a protective order |
If reading the messages is wearing you down, ask a trusted friend to collect the screenshots for you. You don't have to look at everything yourself.
Step 4: Tighten your privacy
- Set social accounts to private, at least until things settle.
- Remove your phone number, workplace, city and birthday from profiles.
- Turn off location tagging and review old posts that show where you live or spend time.
- Limit who can message, tag or mention you.
- Use a username on chat sites that's unrelated to your real name or other accounts.
- Change passwords and turn on two-step verification if you think an account was accessed.
If your address, phone number or workplace has already been posted, switch to our steps for what to do if you get doxxed.
When someone harassing you online becomes a police matter
Online harassment becomes a police matter when it crosses into crime. Contact local police if someone:
- Threatens to hurt you or the people close to you.
- Shows up where you are, or tracks your location.
- Demands money or images in exchange for not posting something. Our guide to sextortion covers this specific situation.
- Shares, or threatens to share, intimate images of you.
- Impersonates you to commit fraud.
In an emergency, call local emergency services. In the US, you can also report online threats, stalking and extortion to the FBI's IC3. Bring your records and ask for a report number. Responses vary between departments, so organized evidence matters. A local lawyer can explain options such as protective orders.
Cyber harassment help for the emotional side
Harassment can disrupt sleep, focus and your sense of safety, even when it happens only online. That reaction is normal, not an overreaction.
- Take breaks. Logging off for a day isn't letting them win.
- Tell someone you trust. Isolation is part of what makes harassment so draining.
- Reduce exposure. Filters, mutes and a friend checking messages for you all cut down how much you have to see.
- Notice the warning signs: dreading notifications, replaying messages, avoiding places you enjoy. If they last, talking to a counselor or doctor can help.
Our guide on what to do after an upsetting online interaction has short, practical steps for the hours after a bad chat. If you're thinking about harming yourself, in the US call or text 988 or visit the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline; elsewhere, contact local emergency services.