In The Know: Confessions Pages
Confessions pages are anonymous social media accounts or websites where people submit secrets, rumours, or “confessions” for the account owner to post publicly. While they may seem like a place for sharing funny or light-hearted stories, these pages often involve harmful or untrue comments about students, teachers, and the school community.
What's the harm?
Confessions pages can have a serious impact on young people and the community:
- Embarrassment and shame – Being named in a negative or humiliating confession can cause deep distress.
- Bullying and harassment – Hurtful content can spark pile-ons or encourage ongoing teasing.
- Rumours and lies – False stories can damage reputations, friendships, and trust.
- Targeting teachers or staff – When confessions pages post about teachers, it crosses professional boundaries and harms school culture.
- Loss of privacy – Students may have personal information or images shared without consent.
- Lasting impact – Even if posts are deleted, screenshots can circulate and reappear later.
Quick plan if your child is targeted
- Stay calm, listen, and avoid taking devices away.
- Work together to save evidence (screenshots, usernames, links).
- Report the page to the platform and encourage peers to do the same.
- Let the school know if students or staff are targeted.
- Contact Netsafe for advice on next steps.
What your child can do to reduce the harm of confessions pages
When young people watch, share, or laugh at mugging content, they add to the harm. Instead, they can be part of the solution:
- Don’t engage: Don’t like, vote, comment ore share
- Speak up: Call out the harm with peers or discourage others from sharing content
- Support others: Quietly check in with friends who
have been targeted - Report: Use platform tools to report the page, tell a trusted adult, and contact Netsafe.
What can parents and whānau do?
Chat regularly with your child about what’s happening online and offline. Ask what they’re enjoying, what’s worrying them, and how their friendships are going. Relaxed, ongoing conversations build trust so young people come to you when something goes wrong online.
A helpful approach for these conversations
- Stay calm and curious; avoid jumping to conclusions
- Listen first, before giving advice
- Focus on understanding their experience
- Keep the conversation open, not one-off
Conversation Starters
- “Have you ever seen or heard about a confessions page? What was posted?”
- “Have you seen any ‘confessions’ pages? What kind of things get posted?”
- “Do you think people always realise how real those posts feel to the person being talked about?”
- “It can feel anonymous, but things can still be screenshotted or traced - had you thought about that?”
- “What do you think happens when people like or share those posts?”
- "What would it look like to not be part of that - even if others are?”
- “What do you think happens to someone if they’re named in one of those posts?”
- “If you saw something like that, how could you respond positively?”
- “What could we do together if something was posted about you or someone you care about?”
- “Do you know how to report or block accounts that cause harm?”
Let your child know that if anything like this ever involved them or their friends, you are there for them and can help them get support.
What else can help
These tips can help protect your child's digital footprint and reduce the risk of harm.
Anything your child sends can be screenshotted, shared, or traced back
to them, even if they think it’s anonymous.
Being linked to gossip pages can affect friendships, trust and how others
see your child both online and offline.
They shouldn't share details online (theirs or others’) that could end up posted on a confessions page.
Download this advice as a one-pager
Netsafe support for schools
Netsafe provides free harm prevention education tools for schools and kura, funded by the Ministry of Education.
Let your child's school know that they can visit The Kete (https://education.netsafe.org.nz) and register with a school email address, to access a range of resources and on-demand materials to support staff and students.
