POSH
What Evidence Parents Should Save Before Reporting
Save the right things before they disappear.
This page helps parents preserve evidence properly, avoid common mistakes, and move into reporting with clearer facts.
ACTION PAGE
Evidence
Reporting
Screenshots
Preserve First
If you have found suspicious chats, threats, sexual messages, blackmail, or grooming concerns, this page shows parents what evidence to save before reporting and what not to delete too early.
Evidence disappears faster than most parents expect
SAVE FIRST. REPORT NEXT. DON’T LOSE THE TRAIL.
Messages get deleted. Accounts vanish. Stories change. Platforms remove content.
This page is built to help parents preserve the details that matter before the trail goes cold.
You do not need a perfect case file.
You need to preserve the key details that prove who, where, what, and when.
Which state sounds most like you right now?
You do not need a perfect case file. You need to preserve the details that matter before they disappear.
What parents usually search
- What evidence should I save before reporting?
- Should I delete messages or keep them?
- What screenshots do police or platforms need?
- How do I preserve evidence if my child is at risk online?
If those are the questions bringing you here, this page is built to help you preserve the right details before they disappear.
How to use this page:
Protect the child first, preserve the evidence that matters, then move into the right reporting pathway.
You do not need every answer before you begin.
Why evidence matters
Evidence can disappear quickly. Messages get deleted, accounts vanish, and platforms remove content.
If the right details are not saved early, reporting becomes harder and parents often end up relying on memory alone.
What you save early can matter more than what you remember later.
If you found chats, messages, or suspicious contact
You found chats, messages, images, threats, or suspicious contact
You think something may need to be reported later
You are worried about deleting the wrong thing too early
You need to save the key details before they disappear
The goal is not to create a perfect case file. The goal is to stop critical details disappearing before you can act on them.
The correct order
Protect the child
↓
Save evidence
↓
Record key details
↓
Report properly
↓
Keep copies of what you submitted
If you change the order, you can accidentally make reporting harder.
What to save first
Start with the details most likely to disappear.
- Screenshots of chats, messages, comments, or conversations
- Usernames, display names, and profile pages
- App or platform name
- Dates and times, if visible
- Profile links, invite links, server names, group names, or channel names
- Threats, sexual requests, blackmail, secrecy, or pressure
- Any images, files, or media that were sent
Start with what proves who, where, what, and when.
Screenshot checklist
When taking screenshots, make sure the important context is visible.
Usernames and display names
Profile picture if visible
Date and time if visible
Full message thread, not just one line
App or platform context
Threats, requests, secrecy, pressure, or grooming language
One screenshot can help. A sequence of screenshots usually helps much more.
What details parents often forget to save
- Server names and channel names
- Group chat names
- Invite links
- Friend request names
- Display names that differ from usernames
- URLs or profile links
- Time and date of the most serious message
Small details can become the only way to reconnect the evidence later.
What NOT to do
- Do not delete chats too early
- Do not block first if evidence still needs to be captured
- Do not crop screenshots so tightly that context disappears
- Do not confront the person before preserving what matters
- Do not rely on memory alone
- Do not wipe or reset the device
Once evidence is gone, you may not get another chance to save it.
Write down what happened
Alongside screenshots, write down a short summary while details are still fresh.
What happened
Which app or platform it happened on
Who was involved
What the child said about it
When you noticed it
What was done immediately after
A short factual summary is often more useful than trying to remember everything later.
If the child is involved in the evidence
Keep the child calm and avoid making them feel blamed while you save what matters.
Say: “You’re not in trouble. I just need to save what’s here so we can deal with it properly.”
If some evidence is already gone
Do not assume the situation is now impossible to report.
- Save what still exists
- Write down what was deleted and when
- Record usernames, display names, and platform details from memory while fresh
- Save any notifications, emails, or account alerts still visible
- Report with what you have rather than waiting for perfect evidence
Partial evidence is still better than no action.
When to report
After protecting the child and preserving the key details, move into the correct reporting pathway.
Report inside the platform if appropriate
Use the main POSH reporting hub for country-based reporting
Escalate quickly if there are threats, sexual messages, coercion, or attempts to meet offline
Quick action if the risk feels active
Stay calm
Protect the child first
Save evidence before deleting or blocking
Keep your notes factual
Move into reporting once key details are preserved
Preserve first. Report next. Don’t lose the trail.
What parents often get wrong
- Deleting everything too early
- Blocking too early without saving details
- Cropping evidence too tightly
- Confronting the person before evidence is preserved
- Waiting too long because they are unsure if it is serious enough
If something feels wrong, preserve first and decide the full seriousness second.
Understand the full pattern
These pages help explain the wider pattern better after the evidence is preserved.
Choose your next path
Once evidence is preserved, go where the situation fits best.
Help another parent avoid mistakes
Many parents unintentionally lose critical evidence simply because no one told them what to save.
Sharing this page can help another family act earlier and more effectively.
One saved detail can change the outcome.