How to Delete Offensive Content on Facebook (22 Steps)

By Naomi Bolton

Unfriend a user who is bothering you.
i Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images

With more than a billion members using the Facebook social networking service, inevitably a few post offensive content. While Facebook goes to great lengths to remove such material, it cannot monitor everything. If you find someone on your list of friends posting offensive comments or images on your timeline, it is possible to remove the content and block the user. For content posted on their own timelines, you can unsubscribe, so that you no longer see the offensive posts, and report the user to Facebook. Facebook's staff members will then take further action.

Offensive Content on Your Timeline

Step 1

Navigate to the Facebook website and sign in to your account.

Step 2

Click the "Notifications" icon at the top of the screen and then click the offensive content or open your profile page and scroll down to the offensive content on your timeline.

Step 3

Hover your mouse cursor over the offensive post and click the "X" icon that appears in the corner to remove the content.

Step 4

Click "Block" if you want to block any further posts on your Timeline from the user or "Report it" if you want to report him to Facebook for posting offensive content.

Offensive Content on Someone Else's Timeline

Step 1

Navigate to the Facebook website and sign into your account.

Step 2

Scroll down to the offensive content on your News Feed and click the down-arrow button in the top right corner of the post.

Step 3

Click "Report Story or Spam" and then click the radio button next to "Offensive." The post is then deleted from your News Feed and Facebook will take further steps against the poster, if deemed necessary.

Offensive Pages

Step 1

Navigate to the Facebook website and sign in to your account.

Step 2

Type the name of the offensive Page into the search bar at the top of the page and then click on the name of the Page to open it. Alternatively, if you subscribe to the Page, select it from the "Pages" sidebar.

Step 3

Click the gear-shaped icon at the top of the page and then click "Report Page."

Step 4

Click the check box next to "I want the Page taken down" and then click the radio button next to "It shouldn't be on Facebook."

Step 5

Click "Continue" and then click the radio button next to the type of offensive content that the Page contains. You are able to specify whether the page contains sexually explicit content, hate speech, violence or harmful behavior or if it is a scam.

Step 6

Select a sub-category for the type of offensive content if appropriate. For example, selecting "Hate Speech" enables you to specify whether the page targets race, ethnicity, religion, gender or disabilities.

Step 7

Click "Continue" and then click the check box next to "Report to Facebook." Click the check box next to "Message the admin" if you want to send a request directly to the page admin asking them delete the offensive content.

Step 8

Click "Continue" and then click the check box next to "Receive an email after we have reviewed this report" if you want feedback from Facebook. Click "OK" to finalize the request.

Offensive Groups

Step 1

Navigate to the Facebook website and sign in to your account.

Step 2

Type the name of the offensive Group into the search bar at the top of the page and then click on the name of the Group to open it. Alternatively, if you subscribe to the Group, select it from the sidebar.

Step 3

Click the gear-shaped icon at the top of the page and select "Report Group" from the drop-down list.

Step 4

Click the radio button next to the type of offensive content posted by the Group and then click continue.

Step 5

Select a sub-category for the type of offensive content if appropriate. For example, selecting "Violence or harmful behavior" enables you to specify whether the page posts about illegal drug use, graphic violence, suicidal content or self-harm.

Step 6

Click "Continue" and then click the check box next to "Report to Facebook." Click the check box next to "Message the admin" if you want to send a request directly to the Group admin asking them delete the offensive content.

Step 7

Click "Continue" and then click the check box next to "Receive an email after we have reviewed this report" if you want feedback from Facebook. Click "OK" to finalize the request.

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