Getting help with image-based abuse

The responsibility belongs to the person causing harm

Image-based abuse involves sharing, or threatening to share, intimate images without the consent of the person shown. It can involve material that is genuine, altered or artificially created. You do not deserve abuse because you trusted someone, sent a picture voluntarily or did not predict what another person would do.

You may feel a strong urge to fix everything immediately and alone. Instead, bring in a safe person as early as possible. They can sit with you, help navigate reporting forms and remind you of practical steps when you feel overwhelmed. You do not have to explain every detail to every person who supports you.

Avoid giving the person more leverage

If someone is demanding money or more images, do not send more material or pay in the hope that this guarantees deletion. Stop engaging and seek specialist advice. Do not threaten them back or recruit others to attack them. Your priority is your safety and getting appropriate help, not persuading an abusive person to behave fairly.

Keep the device and relevant account information available for reporting. Before deleting an account or conversation, consult eSafety's evidence guidance. Record usernames, profile links, dates, threats and the locations of posts where safe. Do not save, screenshot or forward sexual images of anyone under eighteen. Evidence can include identifying details without copying the image itself.

Use the specialist reporting pathway

The eSafety Commissioner has an image-based abuse reporting pathway and information about removal options. Its guidance explains what information to include and how it can help. Read that pathway rather than assuming the rules for ordinary offensive comments are identical. If you are unsure, ask a trusted adult to help you work through the instructions.

Report relevant content or accounts to the platform as well, using its intimate-image or abuse category where available. Keep report references and responses in one place. If content appears in several locations, create a simple list of links rather than repeatedly searching alone. A support person can help manage this task so you are not continually exposed to the material.

Use a script when saying it out loud is hard

You can start with: "Someone is threatening to share a private image of me. I need help getting safe and reporting it. Please don't ask me to send you the image." Write it down or send it to a trusted person from a safe device. You do not need to name the image in detail for someone to understand that the situation needs attention.

Think about immediate personal safety

If the person knows your location, is threatening violence or is someone in your household or relationship, consider whether changing settings or blocking them could affect your immediate safety. Use a safer device to seek help if yours may be monitored. Contact police if you are being threatened or blackmailed, and use emergency services if you are in immediate danger.

For people under eighteen, a trusted adult can help connect with police or appropriate child protection support. If the first adult responds with blame, seek another safe adult. The harm needs attention regardless of how the image was created or whether a relationship previously existed.

Support recovery as well as removal

Removal work can take time and may not reach every copy. That uncertainty does not mean help is pointless. Ask a counsellor, GP or youth service for support with the effects on sleep, concentration, school or relationships. You can request practical adjustments without telling an entire class or workplace what happened.

If a friend is affected, do not ask to see the image and do not pass it on. Ask what they need, offer help with reporting and avoid making promises about outcomes you cannot control. Continue treating them as a whole person with ordinary interests and plans. What someone did to them should not become the defining story of their identity or your friendship.

Keep a record of the report

When someone offers to help, tell them the platform and account name rather than sending the content. If you cannot tell whether the image shows someone under 18, leave it where it is and ask eSafety about evidence. Once you submit a report, note the case reference if one is supplied. You can share that number with a trusted person who is helping you follow up.