We want all of our users to feel safe and respected when they use our services. There are risks of inappropriate behavior occurring over any communication platform, but there are some things that you and your teen can do to help limit this.
The first thing you can do is have a discussion with your teen about the message(s) sent. You may also want to ask that your teen not respond to the message as the person who sent these messages will probably get bored when they don’t receive an answer.
Block the number
One of the features of TextNow allows our users to block phone numbers that are making unwanted calls and sending unwanted text messages. There are a few different ways that your teen can block the phone number.
Your teen can text #STOP to any number on any carrier or platform (not just TextNow) to prevent the person from sending any further calls or messages. To unblock the number, your teen can text #UNBLOCK to the number.
You can also block a user by following the steps below in the app:
- Open the conversation or call from the number you want to block
- Use the drop-down menu (the icon with the three dots in the top right-hand corner) and choose Block Number, then confirm whether you want to just block the number or both block it and report it as junk
- To unblock the number, choose Unblock Number from that same menu or tap Unblock at the bottom of the conversation
This blocking feature is available to both TextNow users who wish to block numbers as well as non-TextNow users who wish to block unwanted calls or messages from TextNow users.
Keep in mind that it may take up to 20 minutes for the block to fully take effect.
How to help us address the situation
If you believe that the messages your teen received are illegal, please report this incident to your local law enforcement agency.
TextNow has processes in place to work with law enforcement to disclose user information upon receipt of a valid legal order. You can direct law enforcement to lawenforcement@textnow.com where our Abuse Team will be able to provide officers with additional information about our processes.
If you do not believe that the messages are illegal, but violate our Terms of Use, you can email abuse@textnow.com to report the incident. Please note that TextNow can only review and take action against TextNow phone numbers. If the number contacting your teen does not belong to TextNow, you will have to reach out to the carrier that owns that phone number to report the incident.