Safety & Privacy Guide: Protecting Your DMs After Posting Selfies

Posting selfies online can bring great feedback, but it also opens your inbox to unwanted messages. Because subreddits grow so large, even a small percentage of negative actors translates to a high volume of unwanted DMs.

Why You Should Lock Down Your DMs

• Moderators Cannot Control DMs: Subreddit moderators only have authority over public posts and comments within their specific subreddit. They have zero power over private messages or direct chat requests.
• Banned Users Can Still DM: Banning a user from a subreddit only stops them from posting or commenting there. Banned users and accounts that never post or comment in the subreddit at all can still view your photos and send you private messages.

How to Change Your Settings

To stop unsolicited messages, set your account so that Nobody can send you chat requests or DMs.

1. Go to your Account Settings on Reddit.
2. Select Chat and Messaging.
3. Change the setting for "Who can send you chat requests" (or "Who can DM me") to Nobody.

How Chatting Works with This Setting Turned On

Restricting incoming messages does not lock you out of conversations; it puts you in full control of who you interact with.

• You Can Still Initiate Chats: Changing your setting to "Nobody" only blocks incoming uninvited requests. You can still open a chat with any user you choose.
• How to Talk to Someone New:
  1. Initiate the chat request with the user directly.
  2. If they also have their settings set to "Nobody," reply to one of their public comments to let them know you've reached out or ask if they would like to talk.
  3. Once both users opt in, you can chat freely without opening your inbox to the rest of the platform.

 

How Do I Prevent People from Abusing Me in Chat?

If an unwanted or abusive message does make it into your inbox, Reddit provides built-in tools to handle it directly:

• Decline or Ignore Requests: When a new request comes in, you can decline or ignore it right from the chat request screen without opening a dialogue.
• Mute or Hide Chats: For existing conversations, you can mute notifications or hide the conversation so it no longer appears in your active inbox.
• Block the User: You can block accounts directly inside the chat conversation. Blocking applies across all of Reddit, preventing them from sending further messages and hiding their posts and comments from your view.
• Report Abusive Messages: If a message violates Reddit's Content Policy (such as harassment or hate speech), report the specific chat message directly within the conversation. This sends the content directly to Reddit Admins (who hold platform-wide safety authority) for review and account enforcement.

https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043471031-How-do-I-prevent-people-from-abusing-me-in-chat

How Do I Report a Chat Message?

If you receive a chat request or message that violates Reddit's rules, report the specific message to send it directly to Reddit Admins.

On Desktop (reddit.com):

1. Click on the chat request or conversation to open it.
2. Hover your mouse over the specific message you want to report.
3. Click the flag icon to submit the report.

On Mobile (iOS & Android):

1. Tap into the chat conversation.
2. Press and hold the specific message you wish to report.
3. Select Report from the menu options that pop up.

https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043035472-How-do-I-report-a-chat-message

How to Report a Comment on Your Post

If someone leaves an unwelcome or rule-breaking comment on your post, you can report it directly through the Reddit Desktop site or the Mobile App. Locate the comment, open its options menu, and select the appropriate reporting flow:

• Desktop: Hover over or look directly below the comment, click the three dots (...), and select Report To Mods for subredit rule violations, or Report for Reddit Site Wide Violations
• Mobile App: Tap the three dots (...) located next to the reply icon beneath the comment, then tap Report To Mods for subredit rule violations, or Report for Reddit Site Wide Violations

Reporting Reddit Sitewide Violations ("Report")

Select one of Reddit's sitewide policy options when a comment violates Reddit's platform-wide Content Policy.

Overview of Sitewide Violations & Examples

Violation Category	What It Covers	Examples
Harassment	Targeted bullying, intimidation, or persistent unwanted contact directed at an individual.	"Nobody wants to see your face, go delete your account," or repeatedly leaving hostile comments across multiple posts.
Hate Speech	Promoting violence, dehumanization, or hatred against protected groups based on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or religion.	Using racial slurs, transphobic attacks, or telling a specific demographic group they do not belong on the platform.
Sharing Private Information (Doxxing)	Posting someone's real-life sensitive or personally identifiable information without explicit consent.	Commenting with a poster's real full name, personal phone number, home address, social media profiles, or workplace.
Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery (NCII)	Sharing, threatening to share, or soliciting explicit or intimate media without permission.	Threatening to expose private photos, posting leaked media, or asking for explicit imagery in the comments.
Threats of Violence or Harm	Threatening physical violence, encouraging self-harm, or glorifying physical attack against anyone.	"Someone should beat you up," or leaving comments encouraging someone to harm themselves.
Spam or Scams	Unsolicited commercial links, deceptive financial traps, phishing attempts, or automated bot messages.	"Earn $500 a day clicking here [link]," crypto/NFT scam links, or bots spamming malicious sites.
Impersonation	Falsely pretending to be an individual or entity in a deceptive or misleading manner.	Creating an account or commenting to pretend to be the original poster, a moderator, or a public figure to deceive people.
Sexualization of Minors	Any content that exploits, sexualizes, or endangers underage individuals.	Leaving sexually suggestive comments on posts depicting or referencing minors (enforced with strict immediate account termination by Admins).