There are lots of safety and privacy controls on Facebook so always use them.
Like all social networking websites, Facebook is only as good as the people using it so you might come across things which are upsetting, illegal or offensive in other ways.
If you're under 13 then Facebook's rules say you can't use the site and if you're older, Facebook warns parents they should think about supervision. After all, if you join up then you're inviting total strangers into your home!
If you EVER come across anything on the internet, whether it's on a social networking website or anywhere else, where people are making suggestions to you that make you feel uncomfortable or upset, please tell your parents or another adult.
CEOP (The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) investigates cases of sex abuse and grooming on the internet. Grooming is where people make friends with you and try to involve you in inappropriate activities. In the UK this behaviour is a criminal offence. You, your parents, or anyone else who is concerned, can report incidents by clicking the red button on the top right hand corner of the CEOP website.
Although the police can get information from your computer's hard drive, it's helpful if you don't delete anything you think is dodgy until the police have decided whether they need it as evidence.
Control who sees your profile You can edit your settings from the privacy page which gives you control over what visitors to your profile see and you can also control who can see your details too.
Harassment
If you've got a Facebook account and you're getting unwelcome contact or harassment from people you've fallen out with, tell them to stop.
You can also block people by using the "Block People" box on the My Privacy page. If you block someone they can't see your profile and if they search for you then you are invisible.
You can also control how much people see about you by setting up a "Limited Profile". To do this, go to the "My Privacy Page" after logging on and click on the "Limited Profile Settings" link.
Choose the profile features you want other people to see and what you want to share, like pictures, and click "Save" to store the new settings. You can also add confirmed friends to the limited profile network by listing their names in the limited profile box.
Report trouble
If people don't stop making offensive postings, you can use the "Report" link which is on the Facebook pages to make a complaint. There's more info on this on http://www.facebook.com/help/?safety#!/help/?safety=parents
Facebook pledges to investigate the complaint and to remove the content and warn or ban the offender from the site within 24 hours. If you email Facebook you should get a reply within 72 hours telling you what they have done about the problem.
Close your Facebook account
To deactivate your Facebook account go to the "settings" tab on the Account page. That will remove your profile and content and nobody will be able to see your details or search for you. But if you decide to reinstate the account later then the whole lot will be restored, including your friends and photos.
If you're not happy about the way Facebook dealt with your complaint, you can make a complaint to the Independent Safety and Security Examiner in the US (ISSE) http://www.krollisse.com/ . Unfortunately ISSE can't consider the actual abuse you are complaining about and it won't re-adjudicate Facebook's decision if it refuses to remove content.
Inappropriate content and suspicious people should always be reported to Facebook and your parents should complain to CEOP too
http://www.bullying.co.uk/advice/advice-if-you-are-being-bullied-facebook-0