Wattpad safety and privacy

Controls & Settings guide

Wattpad doesn’t have parental controls but does have a variety of features to help your teen manage who they interact with and what kind of content they see. Reporting functions help keep themselves and the community safe.

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What do I need?

A Wattpad account and the Wattpad app

Restrictions you can apply

icon Chatting
icon Inappropriate content
icon Pornography & Adult
icon Suicide & Self-harm

Step by Step instructions

These steps were recreated on the Wattpad app on Android. Wattpad’s site settings differ but most functions are available on both.

How to block tags
Manage mature content preferences
How to report users
Where to mute users
Report stories
How to delete a Wattpad account

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How to block tags

When users open the Wattpad app, they see a series of recommendations. To avoid inappropriate or triggering content, they can add tags to their Blocked Tags list. This will ensure they experience safe browsing of new stories.

How to block tags:

Step 1 – on your home screen, tap the icon next to your profile image in the top right corner.

Step 2 – tap on the space below the Blocked Tags heading.

Step 3 – start typing tags you would like to block. Recommendations will come up that you can select or you can manually enter them. All tags should be one word (e.g. selfharm instead of self harm). A space will create a new tag (e.g. #self #harm). Hashtags are automatically added. When finished, tap SAVE.

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Manage mature content preferences

Wattpad requires its users to be 13-years-old or older. However, not all content online is suitable for under-18s. This content should be appropriately tagged and can be hidden from suggested content.

How to hide mature content:

Step 1 – on your home screen, tap the icon next to your profile image in the top right corner.

Step 2 – tap the toggle under Include Mature. When it’s grey, mature content will not be included in recommendations.

Note that mature content can still be searched for through tags. This is only to remove it from suggestion on the home feed.

3

How to report users

You can report users on Wattpad who go against their Code of Conduct. This includes unmarked explicit content, hate speech and harrassment, self-harm, underage use and more. If you find someone going against these rules, you should report them to protect yourself and other users.

How to report a user:

Step 1 – get to the user’s profile. This can be done from their story by tapping on their username.

Step 2 – once on their profile, tap the 3 dots in the top right corner. Tap Report.

Step 3 – choose the reason for reporting the user. Explain how they violate the rule and then tap REPORT in the top right corner.

4

Where to mute users

You can mute users on Wattpad, which means they cannot follow or send messages to you, post on your profile or comment on your stories.

How to mute users:

Step 1 – get to the user’s profile. This can be done from their story by tapping on their username.

Step 2 – once on their profile, tap the 3 dots in the top right corner. Tap Mute.

Step 3 – when prompted, tap Mute again.

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Report stories

If stories go against Wattpad’s Content Guidelines, which could include incorrectly tagged mature content, self-harm, hate speech and more, they should be reported.

To report a story:

Step 1 – go to the story’s home page and tap the 3 dots in the top right corner.

Step 2 – tap Report. Choose one reason you’d like to report the story. Then choose a more detailed reason. You will then need to explain how it goes against the content guidelines. Tap REPORT when done.

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How to delete a Wattpad account

If you no longer wish to have an account, it is very easy to delete but cannot be done in the app or on mobile.

How to delete your account:

Step 1 – logon to Wattpad on the website on a desktop browser.

Step 2 – click your username in the top right corner and then Settings.

Step 3 – under your profile picture, click Close Account.

Step 4 – give a reason and follow the instructions to confirm.

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