Twitter has introduced new reporting tools so users can flag harmful tweets with ease. The idea is to make it easier for Twitter users to report things that might be a problem. 

Historically it has been a bit tricky to flag problematic Tweets. Users needed to work their way through a number of different awkward menus which were often confusing and unhelpful. 

In December 2021 Twitter revealed that it was working to improve the experience as it was aware people were frustrated. The company receives millions of reports on all sorts of Tweets from spam to hate speech, misinformation and everything in between. So it's important to make sure the system works for everyone. 

After some limited user testing, Twitter is now ready to roll the new simplified reporting process to more people. 

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Twitter

How to report problematic Tweets

The process for reporting Tweets has now been overhauled to have a more "symptoms-first" approach. This means that when you click to report a Tweet you'll be asked to select multiple options to break down why the Tweet is an issue. 

The first thing to do is to find the three dots next to a Tweet and select that, then click to report that Tweet. 

You'll then be asked to select:

  • Who the report is about - i.e. is the Tweet impacting you, someone else, a group of people or more?
  • The problem - is it a hate message, harassment, spam, disturbing content or something else? You can select several options here too
  • How the Tweet is causing the issue - choose options to describe why the Tweet is a problem e.g. using slurs, spreading fear, sending graphic images, spreading false information

Then send the report. 

This reporting process is more about what happened and who it's impacting, so it's easier to report issues in useful ways. Twitter says that during testing this new reporting process has led to a 50 per cent increase in "actionable reports" and so your reports are more likely to result in action. 

As well as reporting specific Tweets you can also report a Twitter account as a whole. To do so visit the problematic account profile and click the three-dot icon and select to report. Follow the steps and you'll have the option to select Tweets from the account which demonstrate the issue. 

After you submit a report, Twitter will review it and then assess whether it violates the company's policies. If so it may take action including sending a warning to banning the account from Twitter. If Twitter takes action then you will get a message to let you know what happened.