Overview of Risk Categories – Monitor Help Centre

Monitor assigns risk categories to all Alerts. Risk categories are identified in the Alerts dashboard, Reports, and email notifications. The safeguarding categories are built around behaviour and urgency, so serious risks are more visible and easier for moderators and schools to act on quickly.

New categories

Risk Category	Description
CSAM and CSEA	Discussions, searches, requests, or references relating to child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA). Normalising, encouraging, or engaging in discussions or imagery of a sexual nature with a child or young person. Offering, requesting, generating, or sending photos, videos, webcam footage, or live streams of a sexual nature involving a child or young person.
Discriminatory hate speech	Hate speech of any kind, including homophobia, sexism, ableism, or other discriminatory language.
School violence	Threats to the school community. This category is handled differently from broader violent content, which is aimed at the general community.
Substances and risky behaviour	Discussions, searches, or content relating to drug or alcohol misuse. Participation in the promotion of, or searches relating to, dangerous challenges or risky behaviours. Content indicating involvement in criminal activity, criminal exploitation, or being at risk of offending or victimisation.
Suicide, mental health, and abuse	Expressions of persistent negativity, hopelessness, or self-hatred and concerns in relation to panic attacks. Disclosures or discussions of current or past abuse and neglect. Discussions, searches, or expressions relating to self-harm or suicide, including behaviours related to self-injury and eating disorders. Content indicating the user has imminent plans to run away from home. Incidents showing the user is a victim of harmful behaviours and is showing signs of distress.

Updated categories

Category	Description
Grooming and exploitation	Inappropriate sexual conversations between an adult and a minor. Discussions, searches, requests, or content that promote, depict, or involve sexual activity with minors. Attempts to exploit or traffic an individual, including sexually coerced extortion and financial blackmail.
Offensive behaviour	Use of offensive, abusive, or inappropriate language not directed at another person or group. Searching for, accessing, or sharing offensive or inappropriate content, including disruptive media (e.g., "ear rape" audio). Offensive prank videos, Other inappropriate time-wasting content.
Violence and gore	Discussions, searches, or content relating to weapons, including knives, firearms, or bombs. Searching for, accessing, or sharing shock, gore, or graphic violent content. Searching for or requesting graphic or violent media. Content relating to physical fights, assaults, or violent incidents. Threatening, intimidating, or violent language directed at others or expressing an intent to cause harm.
Racism and hate speech	Offensive behaviour that involves discrimination based on race or perceived race.

Unchanged categories

Category	Description
Bullying	Offensive or abusive language directed at other users, chats, or AI (both online and offline). Unkind, malicious, or harmful gossip about a third party.
Sexual content	Searching for, accessing, or sharing sexual or pornographic content or media. Using sexual or explicit language, whether referring to oneself or directed at others. Discussions, searches, or requests relating to sexual acts, sexual activities, or sexual items.
Terrorism and extremism	Content promoting, supporting, or recruiting for terrorist or extremist groups. Sharing, requesting, or distributing terrorist or extremist propaganda. Expressing an intention or desire to commit a terrorist act. Seeking or providing instructions related to the creation or use of explosive devices for terror purposes. Glorifying, praising, encouraging, or advocating terrorist or extremist acts or ideologies.

Retired categories

Category	Description
Oversharer	A person who shares their own or others’ personal information that would make them contactable online or offline, or would otherwise result in a serious personal data breach.
Vulnerable person	Makes credible threats of suicide or self-harm, or engages in suicidal ideation. Uses or is involved with illegal drugs, substances, or alcohol. Is at risk of non-sexual abuse. Shows indications of an eating disorder. Is severely distressed or appears at risk of some form of self-harm. Shows signs of intending to take part in dangerous online challenges.