Learn more about online safety
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To stay safe online:
- Be careful about interacting online with people you don’t know in person. They may not be who they say they are.
- Use caution when agreeing to in-person meetings with people you meet online. They may not be who they say they are.
- Think carefully before sharing personal information about yourself, family members and friends.
- If someone harasses you or asks for photos or videos with nudity, gore or violence, you can save the evidence, report the content, block or mute the account and reach out to a victim support organisation or law enforcement for help.
- Use strong and unique passwords, and don’t share them. When possible, use two-factor authentication, Touch ID and Face ID.
- Know how to block and report posts, conversations or people that make you uncomfortable.
- Don’t share anything that might embarrass you now or in the future.
- Treat people with respect, even if there’s a disagreement.
The risks of sharing nude content:
If you are in a relationship and are considering sharing nude content with each other, it’s important to think about the risks.
Remember:
- No one should ever be pressured or coerced into sharing or receiving nude content.
- If someone seems hesitant or says no, respect their choice.
- Sending or receiving nude photos or videos isn’t necessary for a good relationship.
- Once you share an image or video, you lose control over it. Even if the person respects your privacy, it could be accidentally forwarded, posted or exposed through a hack.
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Sextortion often starts with grooming.
Grooming
People who want to exploit you may first try to gain your trust — a process called grooming. Warning signs include:
- Trying to become close very quickly.
- Asking you to switch to a different app.
- Messaging excessively or pushing for chats or video calls.
- Attempting to isolate you from friends or family.
- Talking about romance, love or sex.
- Requesting or sending nude photos or videos.
- Telling you to keep the relationship secret.
- Blaming you for what’s happening.
- Threatening harm if you speak up.
If you notice any of these signs, remember that it’s not your fault. Get help from someone you trust.
Sextortion
If someone is threatening to share intimate images or videos of you, you may be experiencing sextortion.
- Sextortion occurs when someone who has an intimate image or video of you threatens to share it unless you give them money, more images or sexual favours, or meet other demands.
- It can happen to anyone.
- The person may offer to send you their images if you send them yours.
- The person could be someone you know or a scammer.
- Scammers often use fake identities and build trust to manipulate victims into sharing nude content.
- Once they have your content, they use it as leverage to pressure or control you.
If it happens to you:
It can feel overwhelming and scary, but you will get through it. Help is available. Instead of responding to the threats, you can:
- Talk to someone you trust for support.
- Reach out to a support hotline for help.
- If you know the person from work or school, you can save the threatening messages and report the unwanted behaviour to authorities there.
- Save the messages and reach out to local police.
- Avoid sending money or giving in to demands. While the threats may stop on their own, complying only encourages continued exploitation.
- Block the person from further contacting you.
- Review Safety Check to make sure you aren’t sharing any personal information with them.
- Review the Personal Safety User Guide, which contains strategies and solutions for managing digital safety and severing ties with people you no longer want to be connected to.
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Communication apps make it easy to stay in touch but they can also expose you to messages, images and videos that may be disturbing or upsetting. Not knowing how to handle this kind of content doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. Many people are affected by it, and support is available if you need it.
If Sensitive Content Warning is turned on on your device, gory or violent images and videos in selected Apple communication apps are blurred. Content that may be blurred includes graphic or disturbing depictions of violence, injury, death or cruelty towards people, whether real or fictional.
When you receive content that may include violence or gore, your device displays a warning and blurs the photo or video, allowing you to choose whether to view it. Apple cannot see or access this content; all processing happens directly on your device.
How gory and violent content can affect you:
People respond differently to disturbing content, but exposure can affect both emotional well-being and concentration.
You may:
- Feel anxious, upset, unsettled or distracted.
- Experience sleep problems, intrusive thoughts or difficulty focusing.
- Over time, feel emotionally numb, have reduced empathy or experience increased irritability or stress.
What you can do:
Sometimes this type of content is designed to provoke a reaction, so don’t blame yourself for being curious. What matters is recognising when something is affecting you and stepping away to protect yourself. These steps can help you regain a sense of control:
- Talk to someone you trust. If images linger or begin to affect your sleep or mood, that is a sign to seek additional support.
- Set boundaries for yourself. If you see something disturbing, close the app. You’re not obligated to engage.
- Save the evidence. If a message feels threatening, abusive or illegal, you may want to report it to the police later. Take a screenshot to save a copy of the conversation before you block the sender or delete the thread.
- Block the sender.
- Pay attention to physical cues. Racing thoughts, a tight chest, stomach discomfort or persistent mental images are signals to step away.
- If you believe someone is in immediate danger, or if the content involves serious threats or illegal activity, contact law enforcement or the appropriate authorities.
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Receiving unwanted content can feel invasive and upsetting, and if it’s ongoing, it could be considered harassment. If someone sends you content that you don’t want to receive, here are some steps you can take to set boundaries and protect yourself:
- Tell the person to stop sending it. If they continue, save the messages — they may be breaking the law, and you can report them to the police.
- If the person is from work or school, save the messages and report the unwanted behaviour to the appropriate authorities.
- Block the person from contacting you. If you must stay in contact, keep Sensitive Content Warning on.
- Review Safety Check to make sure you aren’t sharing personal data with them. Review the Personal Safety User Guide for strategies to manage digital safety and cut ties with people you no longer want to be connected to.
- Talk to someone you trust for support.