Online abuse

Every fact on this page comes from legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK and the helplines’ own websites. We last checked it on 6 October 2026. Each helpline shows the date we last checked it. This is general information, not legal advice.

What online abuse can look like

• threats, insults or harassment by message, email or social media
• someone tracking where you are or reading your messages
• someone sharing, or threatening to share, intimate images or videos of you
• someone threatening to share intimate images unless you pay them or send more
• fake accounts set up to frighten or embarrass you

Online harassment can come from a stranger, but online abuse is often part of other abuse, such as domestic abuse.

If intimate images of you have been shared, or someone is threatening to

It was not your fault, even if you shared the images with that person yourself. Sharing intimate images without consent is sometimes called ‘revenge porn’. Specialist help is available.

If someone is threatening to share images unless you pay them, this is sometimes called sextortion. The Revenge Porn Helpline’s advice is: don’t pay, stop all contact and block them, keep anything that could be evidence, and report it to the police.

If you are under 18, Childline can help. Its Report Remove tool helps young people under 18 in the UK report sexual images or videos of themselves and get them removed from the internet. You can also call Childline on 0800 1111, free from most landlines and mobiles in the UK, 24 hours a day, every day; calls do not show on your phone bill; 1-2-1 chat online too.

If you think you’re being watched

Some people use hidden software, sometimes called spyware or stalkerware, to track what someone does on their phone or computer.

Refuge’s Tech Safety website has guides to help you secure your phone, online accounts and devices.

Our guide to staying safe online explains more.

What the law says

Many kinds of online abuse are crimes in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, although each has its own laws. They include:

• sharing, or threatening to share, an intimate photo or video of someone without their consent
• stalking, including monitoring someone’s use of the internet, email or messages, which is sometimes called cyberstalking
• sending threats, such as a threat to kill or seriously harm someone

Reporting it

Call 999 in an emergency. For crimes that are not an emergency, you can report online through your police force’s website, or call 101. Calls to 999 and 101 are free. You can also get support without reporting.

More support

Our Support Directory lists organisations for online abuse and stalking.

This page gives information, not legal advice.

Where this information comes from

• legislation.gov.uk: Sexual Offences Act 2003, section 66B (England and Wales)
• legislation.gov.uk: Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016, section 2
• legislation.gov.uk: Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2016, section 51
• legislation.gov.uk: Protection from Harassment Act 1997, section 2A (England and Wales)
• legislation.gov.uk: Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010, sections 38 and 39
• legislation.gov.uk: Protection from Stalking Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, section 1
• legislation.gov.uk: Online Safety Act 2023, section 181 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
• GOV.UK: contact the police
• Revenge Porn Helpline: sextortion advice
• Childline: Report Remove
• Refuge Tech Safety

Checked on 6 October 2026. Laws and helpline hours can change, so check the official pages before you act.