Facebook will be rolling out two new safety features to help stop bullying and harassment on its social network.
Coinciding with the video that US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama shot for Facebook on the prevention of bullying, the features will include ‘social reporting’ and a new safety centre.
Social reporting
This new feature will allow users to report to a person within their support network should someone bully them on Facebook.
For example, if a bully has posted a photo which a user feels was done purely to harass them, they can use the tool to forward their concerns to someone they trust through email, along with a personalised message voicing their concerns.
They can also choose to block the bully within this dialogue box.
Safety Centre
Facebook are also releasing an improved Safety Centre, with more multimedia resources to let users access the information they need faster.
There will be an FAQ and ‘How to’ videos to help users learn about Facebook’s safety and reporting tools more effectively.
“Bullying can happen anywhere – in the classroom, in the schoolyard, on college campuses, in the workplace, and through the use of new technologies,” said Facebook in a statement.
“So it’s only fitting that all of us – parents, kids, educators, safety experts, researchers and companies, including Facebook – come together to discuss how we can create a culture of respect wherever we are.”
The new safety tools will be released in the coming weeks.
