How to deal with online abuse in sport

It’s important to take early action to minimise harm and prevent harmful content from spreading.

If someone is at immediate risk of harm, contact Triple Zero (000).

Depending on the nature of the incident and your sport’s policies, you may also need to notify or seek support from your peak, state or national sport body, or Sport Integrity Australia.

Reach out to participants involved

This may include both the participant who was targeted, as well as the participant responsible for the online abuse.

• If a participant is under 18, involve their parent or carer.
• Offer support services – use the services available via your sport or refer to eSafety’s counselling and support services list.
• Advise targeted participants not to engage with harmful content or respond, as it can sometimes escalate the situation.

Collect evidence

Keep evidence of the harmful content. You may need it if your sport reviews what happened under its policies, or if you report the content to an online platform or eSafety.

• Take screenshots and record what has happened and where, such as the web page address (URL) and name of the platform or app, the user profile or account name, and the date and time it was sent, posted or shared.
• Find more advice about how to collect evidence.

Act on harmful content

Having harmful content, such as posts, images or comments, taken down is often a priority to those targeted. Sport organisations are often in a good position to take action, especially when people connected to the sport community are involved. If the content appears on:

• sport-managed platforms or channels – remove it immediately (for example, an abusive comment on your club live stream).
• a participant's personal account – request they remove the content (for example, a competitor posts to their personal social media account criticising an official).
• a third-party account – request removal from the account owner or platform (for example, a fan-run account shares inappropriate content about an administrator).

For cases of serious online abuse, such as cyberbullying of a child under 18 or adult cyber abuse (18 or older), report posts or profiles to the online service or platform first. You can find reporting links for most apps, games and social media in The eSafety Guide. If the platform or service doesn’t help and the content is seriously harmful, you can make a report to eSafety.

For cases of image-based abuse, when someone shares, or threatens to share, a nude or intimate image or video without consent of the person shown, report it to eSafety immediately.

Stop contact and tighten security

Encourage participants involved to update privacy and security settings across all their online accounts. Check The eSafety Guide to find out how you can update settings and find other safety links for popular games, apps and social media.

Targeted participants can also use in-app functions to hide, ignore or mute the offending account. After collecting evidence and reporting the content, they can also block them.

For image-based abuse, intimate images or videos can be blocked from being uploaded to some social media sites and other platforms. The targeted person needs a copy of the image or video, but they don’t need to send it to the platform – they can use an online tool to create a digital ‘fingerprint’ (or ‘hash’) instead.

• For under 18s, use takeitdown.ncmec.org – a free online tool that prevents an image or video being shared on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Yubo, OnlyFans and Pornhub.
• For 18+, use StopNCII.org – a free online tool that prevents an image or video being shared on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bumble, OnlyFans and Reddit.

The person responsible for the online abuse may be:

• someone outside your sport or an anonymous person – in these cases, your sport policies may not apply. However, you can still support affected participants and continue monitoring the situation.
• a sport participant – in these cases, your organisation may be able to act under its policies to respond to the participant’s behaviour.

While it varies from sport to sport, online misconduct is typically captured in sport policies such as Codes of Conduct, Participant Protection Policy, Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy, or Social Media Policy.

In line with your sport’s policies and procedures, you may then:

• assess, review or investigate the incident.
• take action, which could include:
  • a restorative approach, such as a supported conversation or an apology
  • education, such as through training
  • formal or disciplinary action, such as a warning or sanction.

For restorative or education responses, sport organisations can think about these approaches:

• Accountability: the participant responsible for the harmful content acknowledges the impact of their actions and takes responsibility – for example, they apologise and remove the post.
• Supported conversation: a facilitated discussion allowing the targeted participant to explain the impact, and the responsible participant to listen and respond respectfully.
• Repairing harm: actions are agreed to repair harm, such as issuing an apology, correcting misinformation, or posting a clarifying statement.
• Education: the responsible participant is supported to understand appropriate online behaviour and expectations – for example, guidance on respectful communication or social media use.

See training and education options available. You can also talk to your state or national sport body.

• Continue to provide ongoing welfare support to participants involved. Use services available via your sport or refer to eSafety’s counselling and support services list.
• Monitor the situation, checking that the harmful behaviour has stopped, and watch for re-posting, escalation or retaliation.
• Review policies, practices and education – look for improvements in how you deal with online issues.
• Review education, inductions and training – include online safety and expectations.
• Promote positive and respectful online behaviour across your sport community.

Tips for calling out online abuse

When a participant is targeted by online harm, sport organisations may want to speak out publicly on the issue. While it can be a good idea to publish a statement of solidarity and zero tolerance for online abuse, make sure to avoid:

• making a public statement without talking to the person who has been targeted – any decisions should involve the person and ensure the situation is not made worse for them
• hitting back online – this response can bring attention to what’s been posted or shared, making it spread and encouraging trolling and pile-ons.

Be aware that in some circumstances, even responding by posting positive messages about the participant may bring them back into the spotlight and escalate the abuse.

• Consider turning off or limiting comments on official accounts and helping the person targeted manage the settings on their personal accounts and devices.
• Take other proactive steps to communicate about positive online conduct without highlighting the specific incident.

Tell someone you trust

It’s a good idea to talk to someone you trust, like a teammate, friend or family member. They can provide support and help you decide what to do next.

Tell your sport organisation

Let your sport organisation know what has happened. This could include your coach or team manager, club staff or volunteers, or your state or national sporting organisation. You can also report some matters to Sport Integrity Australia.

Your sport organisation will be able to support you. Additionally, if the person targeting you is part of your sport (for example, a competitor), the organisation may be able to deal with their behaviour under its rules.

Get more support

Experiencing online abuse can be upsetting and overwhelming. Access support services available via your sport organisation or refer to eSafety’s list of counselling support services.

Don’t engage

Resist the urge to reply to abusive messages, comments or posts. Replying can sometimes make the situation worse or lead to more abuse.

Keep evidence of the harmful content. This could be used as proof if you report the matter to your sport organisation, an online platform or eSafety.

Take screenshots and record what has happened and where, such as the web page address (URL) and name of the platform or app, the user profile or account name, and the date and time it was sent, posted or shared. Find more advice about how to collect evidence.

Report harmful content

Like many people targeted by online abuse, you may want the harmful content taken down quickly. You can get your friend, family member, or your sport organisation to help. Depending on where the content appears you may be able to:

• ask your sport organisation to remove the content – if it appears on a sport-managed website, social media account or online platform.
• ask the person who posted it to remove it – if you feel safe and comfortable contacting them.

For cases of serious online abuse, such as cyberbullying of a child under 18 or adult cyber abuse (18 or older), report posts or profiles to the online service or platform first. You can find reporting links for most apps, games and social media in The eSafety Guide.

If the platform or service doesn’t help and the content is seriously harmful, you can make a report to eSafety.

For cases of image-based abuse, when someone shares, or threatens to share, a nude or intimate image or video without consent of the person shown, report it to eSafety immediately.

Stop contact and tighten security

It’s a good idea to update your privacy and security settings across all online accounts. Check The eSafety Guide to find out how you can update settings and find other safety links for popular games, apps and social media.

You can also use in-app functions to hide, ignore or mute the offending account. After collecting evidence and reporting the content, you can also block them.

For image-based abuse cases, you can also block your intimate image or video from being uploaded to some social media sites and other platforms. You need a copy of the image or video, but you don’t need to send it to the platform – you can use an online tool to create a digital ‘fingerprint’ (or ‘hash’) instead.

• If you’re under 18, you can use takeitdown.ncmec.org – a free online tool that prevents your image or video being shared on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Yubo, OnlyFans and Pornhub.
• If you’re 18 or older, you can use StopNCII.org – a free online tool that prevents your image or video being shared on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bumble, OnlyFans and Reddit.

Discuss sport complaint options

When another sport participant is responsible for the online abuse, talk to your sport organisation about next steps and options.

While it varies from sport to sport, online misconduct is typically captured in sport policies such as Codes of Conduct, Participant Protection Policy, Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy, or Social Media Policy.

Sport organisations may be able to act against those responsible with education, warnings or sanctions.

• Contact your sport organisation for help. They may be able to take action depending on your organisation’s sport policies, or help you report it to eSafety.
• Collect evidence. Take screenshots of the abusive content, and keep a record of the web address (URL) where the abuse is happening and any usernames involved. This is important proof if you decide to report it to the online platform or service or to eSafety. Read more about how to collect evidence, including how to screenshot on Mac, Windows PC, iPad or iPhone, or Android device.
• Report harmful content. Make a report to the online service or platform first. You can find reporting links for different social media, messaging services, websites, games or apps in The eSafety Guide. Make sure to save evidence of your report. If the online platform doesn’t help, and the abuse is very serious, you can report it to eSafety.
• Prevent further contact. Use in-app functions to mute, hide or ignore the account or any other posts. After you’ve made a report, you can also block them.
• Get more help. Talk to someone you’re close with like a friend, a teammate or your family so you don’t deal with the situation on your own. You can also contact a counselling or support service that’s right for you.