Trouble
Troubleshooting
Trouble on social media strikes suddenly and almost always throws you off balance. The key is not to act in the heat of the moment: do not write angry replies, do not delete everything and do not pay anyone who promises to "get it all back fast". Below are the first calm steps for the most common situations.
Save screenshots and links first, then deal with it. Evidence disappears faster than emotions cool down.
How this section works: we describe the first steps in general terms. Only the social network's support can restore an account or remove someone else's page, and in serious cases, the police. We do not give legal advice.
If something goes wrong
My account has been hacked: what do I do first?
Try to change your password through account recovery. If that does not work, contact the social network's official support and warn your friends that someone may ask them for money in your name.
Someone posted your photo without asking
Start with a polite private request to take the photo down: that is usually enough. If the person refuses, report the post using the built-in reporting form.
Someone left a hurtful comment under a post
Do not get drawn into an argument. Hide or delete the comment, block the author if necessary, and if there are threats, save a dated screenshot.
You regret something you posted
Delete it or move it to the archive and, if it hurt someone, apologise briefly. Remember that copies may remain, so do not pretend nothing happened.
A fake page has appeared in your name
Save the link and screenshots, ask your friends to report it too and report the impersonation to support. Warn your acquaintances on your real page.
Your child has posted too much
Without shouting, help them delete the post and talk through what exactly was wrong. Then look at the visibility settings of their page together.
If your account has been hacked
Check your email and phone
Make sure you still have access to the email address and phone number linked to the account. If your email has been hacked too, start there.
Change your password
From a trusted device, set a new long password that is not similar to your old ones.
If you used the same password anywhere else, change it there too: attackers try the same login and password pair on many sites.
End other sessions
In the login history, log out of all devices except your own.
Contact support
If you cannot log in, write only through the official recovery form. Do not trust middlemen who offer help for money.
Warn your friends
Tell your acquaintances through another channel that messages from your page over the past few days may not have been written by you.
Turn on a second login step
Once access is restored, turn on two-factor authentication and check whether any unfamiliar posts or contacts have appeared on your profile.
See also
- Security
The risks of a public profile: location tags, photos of documents, quizzes with personal questions, reused passwords, suspicious links.
- Settings
Settings found in almost every social network: profile visibility, close friends list, photo tags, login history, two-step login and archive.
- Guides
Step-by-step guides: how to write a status, choose a photo, set visibility, clean up old posts and agree on family rules. The article catalogue is here too.
- Questions
Answers about this reference, about your status and profile, and about children and family rules on social media.
- Glossary
A glossary of terms: profiles, privacy and communication on social media in plain words.
Sources
- Social networks' privacy help pages
- Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Article 152.1
Legal information is summarised in general terms from the official texts of the laws as of the preparation date. Social network settings and laws change over time, so check the help pages of the services themselves and the current versions of the laws.