Although Discord is currently one of the most famous online social platforms like Snapchat, it is also used by gamers, communities, and interest groups. Now millions of users are strong and growing, it’s outgrown its initial gamer crowd and offers an endless array of communities, from study groups to fan clubs to professional networks. Of course, as with any huge online space, Discord has its share of bad actors: harassers and spammers, or even scammers, trying to take advantage of the community. For these reasons, you should know how to report someone on Discord when they act out.
Knowing how to stay safe while using Discord and enjoy your time, so to speak, is a good idea. One of the best ways to deal with rule breakers and protect yourself and other people from harassment and abusive behavior is how to report someone on Discord. Across this guide, we luckily dive into the basics of the process of reporting someone for disruptive or harmful actions in Discord, when, why, and how.
Why report someone on Discord?
Open communication is the core of Discord, but hostile behavior is unacceptable. So why report someone? Here’s a list of situations where reporting a user might be necessary:
Harassment: Harassment violates Discord’s guidelines, and shouldn’t be tolerated like cyberbullying, discriminatory remarks, or personal threats.
Spam: Unwanted spam messages (whether they’re promotional or just random silliness), can fill up chat channels and make it difficult for people to communicate.
Inappropriate content: Graphic, violent, or explicit content in the messages sent must be reported immediately in inappropriate channels.
Scamming: Fake links, fraudulent giveaways, and phishing attempts are the source of scammers’ prey to unsuspecting users.
Hate speech: Messages spreading hatred against specific races, religions, or communities are a serious violation of Discord’s policies, and can be targeted at specific groups.
Impersonation: It’s not only confusing, but it can also be dangerous if a user decides to pretend to be someone else to trick fellow users.
Why Reporting Matters
Keeping the platform secure is the work of Discord’s trust and safety team. It lets them see problems they may otherwise miss. For minor annoyances, there’s no need to report them; for serious ones, there should be no tolerance.
What messages or behaviors should people report?
An unwelcome message does not mean it should be reported. This reporting system was made for serious violations. Here’s a breakdown of what types of messages are report-worthy:
Direct threats or harassment: This includes any language that makes the user feel unsafe or that bullies.
Graphic or explicit content outside NSFW channels: Channels should be designated where explicit or disturbing content should reside. If that’s not already being reported, it needs to be.
Personal information leaks: Privacy policies are violated when you share someone’s address, phone number, or any other personal information without their permission.
Repeated spam or phishing links: Ignoring one spam message may be alright, but repeated scams or spam messages make a space unsafe.
Hate speech and discrimination: It’s a no-no on Discord when it comes to language or content that incites hatred against any group.
Before reporting, pause a little and determine if the behavior is actually against actual guidelines. If users report in the right way, Discord’s reporting team has the time to do their job and deal with real issues.
How to report someone on Discord?
So, let’s investigate how to report someone on Discord. The process is easy regardless of whether you using it on a PC or mobile. So, let’s talk about the basics first.
To report someone, you’ll need:
- ID and message link (message ID for Channel, Link for Direct Message) of the user.
- The label indicates a brief description of the rule they violated.
- Submission of this information from the Discord Support page.
We can break this down by device type.
How to report someone on Discord from a PC?
Reporting on a PC involves a few preparatory steps:
Step 1. Enable Developer Mode:
Go to User Settings > Advanced. Enable Developer Mode (enable to copy unique message ID).
Step 2. Copy User and Message IDs:
Copy ID is activated by right-clicking on the user’s name.
Once you want to report a message, right-click that message and select Copy Message Link.
Step 3. Submit your report:
Click on the Discord Support page. Paste the user ID and link to the appointed message in the report. Then, type a brief description of the behavior and hit Submit.
Once you’ve carried out these steps, the report goes to Discord’s Trust & Safety team for handling from there. They will review and action is taken if required.
How to report a Discord account on Discord mobile?
Reporting on mobile requires a similar process, with slight adjustments to fit the app interface:
Step 1. Tap on your profile icon, go to Behavior, and enable Developer Mode.
Step 2. Long-press on the offending user’s profile and choose Copy ID. Do the same on the message to get Message Link.
Step 3. Open the Discord Support form in your mobile browser. After that, paste in the copied information and provide a short description of the violation.
You can pick up on bad behavior as you report it from your mobile device.
How do you report people on Discord without a message?
Harassment sometimes doesn’t even involve a specific message, like inappropriate behavior in voice channels or private messages. Is it then possible to report without a message?
Yes, Discord allows this. Repeat the same steps but skip past the part of copying the message link. So in your report, explain it’s not a specific message, but the user’s behavior has been inappropriate. When they find the user’s overall activity, Discord’s team will consider banning or suspending them.
Can you report a fake Discord account for scamming?
Absolutely. Users are often still screwed, as fake accounts are often used to scam unsuspecting people. Users trying to help with scam accounts can bring the attention of the support team by using the phrase Discord report scammer.
If you encounter someone who impersonates a user, gives spam links, or tries to start phishing scams like someone else, report them. Submit a report through the Discord Support page using the user’s ID and get the message they sent. Users are at risk, and scammers disrupt the Discord experience, so we need to flag them.
What happens when someone gets reported on Discord?
The Discord Trust & Safety team reviews any report carefully after you submit it. They try to understand the evidence presented and decide whether it doesn’t match Discord’s community guidelines.
Here’s what happens next:
- Investigation: When severe violations are reported, Discord will investigate the reported behavior.
- Possible actions: Actions are from warnings to permanent bans, depending on the severity, if the report is validated.
- Response time: It can take days or even weeks for a report to process in Discord due to how many incoming reports there are. The more severe cases are normally prioritized.
If you report someone on Discord will they know?
To protect users from retaliation, Discord continues to report anonymously. Whoever reports the user will not let them know. This prevents the process from being at risk and gives a sense of security to the users who can report with no fear.
How to withdraw if mistakenly report someone on Discord?
Mistakes happen! However, if you mistakenly report someone, unfortunately, there’s no easy way for ‘un’reporting. However, there’s a way to clarify the situation:
✔ Contact Discord support: Then explain that the report was a mistake and go to the Discord Support page.
✔ Provide details: Put the Discord team in the situation and ask them to put the report aside if possible.
The notification takes away the possibility for Discord to delete the report completely, but you can get rid of the action taken on the person who was reported without any offense.
Alternative to reporting a Discord user
Discord takes care of users’ behavior, knowing that if they’re annoying but don’t break a major rule, there are still other ways to deal with them. Here are some alternative actions:
Blocking: This takes away their ability to message you directly.
Muting: It’s a temporarily safe way to block a disruptive user or, at least, to block all inbound texts from that person.
Adjusting channel permissions: On a server, if the user is being disruptive, the admin can lock the user out of a certain channel.
Using moderation bots: Bots allow server admins to spot and limit inappropriate behavior, such as spamming automatically.
These tools may help you deal with small issues without going to Discord’s Trust & Safety.
Is reporting enough to protect teens from harassment?
Reporting rule breakers is a necessary evil, but it won’t protect teens from every bad thing that happens to them. Teenagers are susceptible online to harassment and exploitation, in an unmoderated environment, such as Discord’s.
Additional ways to build a secure digital experience for Gen-Z
Parents and guardians can use various strategies to help teens stay safe:
Parental control apps: Apps such as FlashGet Kids make it possible to both monitor what your teens get up to online and set boundaries. It is a complete parental control solution that will keep your child safe on Discord as well as other social apps. Moreover, it can even offer advanced monitoring tools like keyword detection, remote snapshots, and detailed usage reports. So, test it out if you’re concerned about your child’s experience on apps like Discord.
Educational conversations: Teaching teens about bad things online (scams, phishing, harassment) respectively is very important.
Server moderation: Servers are very strict and the moderators watch to make sure the environment is safe.
Encourage open communication: Teens should have the comfort to discuss uncomfortable situations that they encounter online.
Reporting a breach is only part of building a secure digital environment, it is about being proactive and ongoing support.
Other useful info: Report a Discord server to Trust & Safety
An issue doesn’t always happen because of a single user, but sometimes it’s because of an entire server. According to Discord, there are strict rules against promoting harmful or illegal behavior on the server. Discord has strict rules against such servers. So, here are some server violations that should be reported:
- Hate speech or discrimination
- Illegal content or activity
- Excessive NSFW content without proper labeling
- Encouragement of self-harm or harassment
How to report a Discord server to official support?
To report a server, follow these steps:
Step 1. Copy the server ID: Go to the target server, right click and choose Copy ID.
Step 2. Open the support page: Go to Discord Support.
Step 3. Submit the report: Explain the violations, and provide the server ID.
One consideration they have is that this process helps make sure that problematic servers don’t impact the whole community.
Final words
While Discord is a marvelous place for connection, there is a need to stay vigilant. Ensuring no amount of harassment or spam can make its way into your space is only possible by actively reporting inappropriate messages and users. So, if you don’t know how to report someone on Discord, the above-mentioned guide should help you greatly.
Similarly, parenting is made easier with tools such as FlashGet Kids offers further layers of protection as teens and younger users stay safe. Together with reporting and digital safety proactive measures, you can make your Discord experience safer and more enjoyable. So, don’t be lax when it comes to protecting your child from the scammers and the harassers on Discord.
FAQs
What to do if you encounter someone under 13 on Discord?
Discord’s age limit is 13. If you come across a user under this age, Report it to Discord Support for breaking the platform’s terms.
How to get someone banned on Discord?
Collecting their user ID and any messages that violate their guidelines is required in order to get someone banned. Put these details into Discord’s Support page and they will be reviewed.
How many reports does it take to ban a Discord account?
You don’t have to clock a set number of reports. Discord reviews each report individually and makes decisions based on rule violations and not on the number of reports.
