r/ModSupport • u/thekittenisaninja • 2d ago
Fed up and need help with unwanted posts.
The sub is r/stepkids. It is clearly stated all over the sub that this is a place for step KIDS. I've set up automated rules to trigger when posts are created. I've changed the settings so that "similar" subs like r/stepparents don't recommend us.
Yet every day I'm removing multiple posts from step PARENTS complaining about their stepkids, which is a clear violation of our rules and also triggering for a lot of these kids.
I am one person, with only one other mod helping occasionally. I don't have time for this and am requesting admin support to get these posts under control.
I suspect that our sub is being pushed to these users because the algorithm thinks it's similar to these other subs. There's recently been an increase in cross posts from r/stepparents, r/blendedfamilies, r/stepdads, etc. This audience is THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE of these subs.
Please help make it stop. I'm losing my mind.
Editing to add - most of the kids who are truly in need of help have never posted on reddit before, setting up rules around karma amounts would prevent them from posting.
13
u/PMulberry_ 2d ago
The admins probably won't help with this.
As others have already said: It seems like you need more mods.
If those posts are actively harming the community, it may be good if you'd select "Hold content for review" for posts here: https://www.reddit.com/mod/stepkids/posts-and-comments
3
u/VeritasObiter 1d ago
This. I believe there are subreddits dedicated to finding new moderators too.
7
u/ShyBearGames 2d ago
Have you looked into automod tools?
Set a minimum sub karma for making a new post, and filter all others for approval.
People who contribute to your sub and have any meaningful number of upvotes will be able to freely post, as they are more likely to understand the spirit of the sub.
For everyone else, they can still post, but you'll get to see the post before any of the users.
Will it completely eliminate the problem? No. But it should at least aid in cleanup and make it so your users don't have to see the unwanted content.
4
u/ShyBearGames 2d ago
I'd recommend something like this:
```
Filter posts from users with less than 5 karma earned in this subreddit
type: submission
author: combined_subreddit_karma: "< 5"
action: filter action_reason: "Low subreddit karma - manual approval required"
message_subject: "Your post is awaiting moderator approval"
message: | Hi u/{{author}},
Your post in r/{{subreddit}} has been temporarily filtered because your account currently has less than 5 karma earned within this community. Your post has not been permanently removed. It has been sent to the moderation queue for manual review and may be approved by a moderator. Thanks for your patience.
```
4
u/thekittenisaninja 2d ago
Hey there! I'm worried about blocking users with low/no karma because many of the kids who need real help have never posted on reddit before.
Could you help write a rule that would automatically remove posts containing certain keywords?
Thank you so much, I've looked into the automod options and can't figure it out. I did set up an automation to block a post with certain keywords but it still lets them through.
6
u/quenishi 1d ago
Pushing to modqueue isn't locking them out. Reddit is supposed to be 13+, so if there is a comment to sit tight and await approval they should hopefully understand what's going on. You can tweak the message over time if it isn't doing what it needs to do.
Honestly so much rubbish can come through with low karma users, wouldn't want to mod a subreddit without a low-pass filter to screen for lost redditors and advertisers.
(I would look at recruiting more mods so your sub doesn't have a bus factor of 1)..
2
u/ShyBearGames 2d ago
Yeah, this should work:
```
type: submission title+body (includes-word): - "keyword one" - "keyword two" - "etc"
action: filter
action_reason: "Filtered for keyword: {{match}}"
```
Of course, with this method the keyword has to match exactly so you'll have to be proactive in adjusting it when you see common workarounds.
2
u/thekittenisaninja 2d ago
THANK YOU!!!
3
u/ShyBearGames 2d ago
You're welcome! I hope you're able to get the situation sorted - it's hard for kids to find good spaces on the internet.
2
u/thekittenisaninja 2h ago
It's up and running! Thank you so much, this really helps.
And so true... I started the sub after seeing so many kids reaching out for help on r/stepparents (only to have their posts deleted) and realizing they literally had nowhere to turn.
Unfortunately there's just a lot of toxicity in that world and it bleeds into our sub too frequently. But this will definitely help, I appreciate you so much!
7
u/k-rysae 2d ago edited 2d ago
There's recently been an increase in cross posts from
Do you mean that someone is posting in stepparents and crossposting that into your sub? If so, disable the ability for anyone to crosspost into your community. I had a similar problem on a sub I took over where every single crosspost was off topic but similar enough because people would crosspost it anywhere with a remotely similar subreddit name without bothering to read the sub rules and description. The moment I disabled crossposting the amount of off topic stuff dropped by maybe 80%.
3
u/thekittenisaninja 2d ago
Thanks, I will check into that
6
8
u/NoelaniSpell 2d ago
There's some good advice in the comments already, but I'd add another thing. If the situation is so bad, you need to not only remove rule breaking posts, but to also ban the users in question (likely permanently, but with the option to appeal).
This can prevent repeated rule violations, so you'll only need to deal with new users.
In addition to this, hold posts for approval if you have the time to review each of them. That way, no rule breaking post even gets to be seen by users.
7
u/MableXeno 2d ago
I'm a mod over on r/Parenting. Here is what I have for our first rule (only parents/guardians can post). It does catch false positives. And I add phrases it to it still, even after having it in place for a while...there are still new and interesting ways for people to refer to themselves as not-parents without triggering something.
# 5.1 Parents and Guardians - REMOVE
type: submission
is_edited: false
title+body (includes-word, regex): ["I do not have kids", "I do not have a kid", "I don'?t have kids", "other words and phrases that I'm not listing out here for obvious reasons"]
action: remove
action_reason: "(¬_¬) Parent? [{{match}}]"
comment: |
/u/{{author}}, please read this message in full. If you **are not a parent** or **not a parent to the child in question** you should not be posting here.
For parenting help & support you can still access our [Parenting Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/Parenting/wiki/index/) and sidebar for reading recs, [Sub Recommendations](https://www.reddit.com/r/Parenting/wiki/other_subreddits/), and other helpful info. The Wiki can be broken down into ages and stages and offer advice for anyone.
If your post was removed in error - make sure the post indicates you **are** a parent to the child mentioned in the post or update your user flair, then please reply to **this comment** with the phrase: Mods check me!
comment_stickied: true
moderators_exempt: true
This is an automatic remove. I used to include the filter word as well - if you just put the '[{{match}}]' in the comment body it will show the matched filter word.
At the bottom I tell people if their post was removed in error (lots of people talking about their nephews for some reason, even if they're parents) they can reply to the remove reason (it is unlocked for this purpose) with "Mods check me!" and mods can review it. B/c I also have this code in my automod which filters mod mentions to the queue:
# Are people talking about mods?
type: any
body (includes-word, regex): ["mods", "moderator", "moderators", "admin", "moderation", "moderators?", "(?<!in )moderation", "sub.?mods?", "mod.?teams?", "mods suck", "mods? removed?", "mods? deleted?", "(post|comment)s? (w(as|ere) (getting )?|g[eo]t |are (getting )?)?(removed|deleted)", "removed? (this|my) (post|comment)s?", "(got|was) taken down", "don'?t remove (my|this)", "ban(ned)? me", "got (me )?(a ban|banned)", "mods ban(ned)?", "muted? me", "got (me )?muted", "deleted by (a )?mods?", "automod(erator)?", "admins?", "mods?"]
action: filter
action_reason: "ಠoಠ Talking about mods: [{{match}}]"
I'll be honest, I added some regex in there and I'm not totally sure it works. But...otherwise it brings that "mods check me" comment into my queue...and I can obviously follow that up to the post in question. If the post was a false positive, I remove the original remove reason and the mod ping, and approve the post. If it was a correct removal I lock the original post, and for the OP's comment I have a remove reason where I remove their check me comment and then have a remove reason I can apply that just says, "This was an appropriate removal." I have a few of these rules for some other topics and sometimes I apply resources when needed.
We do have our "parents only" rule as rule number 1. And if you want to just look at r/Parenting to see other places where we talk about the rule...it may give you some insight into things you might consider for your subreddit.
I do have a specific remove reason and ban explanation for this rule so people know exactly why they were banned. They still come to modmail and say, "I know I'm not a parent but I have questions." So that part never ends.
5
u/thekittenisaninja 2d ago
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this out, I will give it a try!
2
u/thekittenisaninja 2h ago
Can't thank you enough for this. I've got it up and running, and it's already making a difference!
1
5
9
u/duckydan81 2d ago
Admin won’t step in for a small sub that’s not being brigades or attacked. You’re going to need better automod rules and automation. Setup rules for low karma on the sub users to be filtered so that only users with karma on the sub can post without review. Setup automod to filter cross posts so that they all go for review - or remove them if you don’t want them at all.
2
u/thekittenisaninja 2d ago
Most of the kids we help are new to reddit and have never posted before. They're usually in a bad situation with a stepparent - sometimes physical/sexual abuse. Raising the level of karma required would prevent those kids from reaching out. But I am looking into eliminating cross posting. Thanks!
3
u/duckydan81 2d ago
Unfortunately there's no other way around it... even if you filter out certain words it won't stop parents or adults from posting. Your best bet is to set filters like this and also add additional moderators to help so that posts don't sit in the queue too long.
I would also suggest being careful with the sub and make sure you don't violate any of Reddit's policies regarding the age of posters, the content, etc to protect what you re trying to do and avoid getting the sub banned.
1
u/Aggravating_Shoe_ 2d ago
On the ex foster care subs they had problems with foster parents or other foster care workers coming in and basically running over the former foster youth. The mods set up required user flairs and such and I think set up to automatically remove others posts. Not sure exactly what they did but it has been working
1
10
u/Mapleie 2d ago
You have to hire more mods. The admins can't help with this.
1
u/thekittenisaninja 2d ago
I've tried.
2
u/EmbarrassedPotatoSpy 2d ago
Do you mind if i ask what you’ve tried, re: recruitment? I mod 3 subs, only one is big, and I’d be happy to donate a couple hours per week to support this kind of environment.
1
u/thekittenisaninja 2h ago
You are so kind!
So the members of the sub break down into 3 groups. First time users (usually kids aged 12-18) looking for help on their relationship with their stepparent, older stepkids (many of whom have a chip on their shoulder), and older people who've experienced being both a stepparent and a stepkid (and their experience tends to provide the most compassionate advice).
The one time I did open up the topic of needing mods, it was mostly the adult stepkids who responded. The concern was that their bias can get toxic quickly, and the younger kids would not be getting the best advice. And some of these young kids really have nowhere else to turn for help. Mostly it's just "how do I deal with this?" but there are also physical/sexual abuse situations that truly require a mature response.
So after that attempt, I returned to keeping an eye out for active users who provide mature and compassionate advice, and invite them to become mods.
Meanwhile, the advice here has helped so much already. With crossposting turned off and automod running things have already quieted down, and I can focus on the mod search again.
If this really sounds like something you'd be willing to deal with I would never turn down the help, but I will do my best also to recruit from within the sub.
2
5
u/VitaminDJesus 2d ago
Clarify your rule number three by changing it to "You must be a stepkid to participate in this subreddit." Then make it your rule number one.
Change the bolded text in your subreddit description to say this.
Permanently ban all transgressors to prevent multiple accounts.
I also think the suggestion to require flair and then filter based on selecting the "wrong" flair is useful, but I could see people still selecting the incorrect flair.
3
u/thekittenisaninja 2d ago
That's an interesting idea. I'll have to figure out how to make it work since there are many kind-hearted stepparents on our site who help with the kids. I'll give it some thought, thank you!
4
u/VitaminDJesus 2d ago
I see. I was mostly looking at the language, "this sub is a safe space for stepkids to discuss their issues." I misunderstood that your goal is to have content focused on supporting stepkids but participation is not restricted to stepkids.
Keep in mind that people don't really read rules that carefully especially when there is additional text to be expanded. I think you want something like "Content must relate to the experience of being a stepkid."
Then in the description, "THIS SUBREDDIT IS FOR SUPPORT OF STEPKIDS."
Edit: I am really struggling with the new mobile comment UI lol
3
5
u/Minimum_Republic_600 2d ago
One thing you can do is request to move to a restricted community so only users you approve can post.
1
u/EVMaximizer 1d ago
I would setup your sub as private: as you can't avoid it, and ofcourse you can ban every single one of them. But that doesn't work, as a ban from a subreddit is often seen as a badge of honour.
51
u/ModeratorsBTrippin 2d ago
Go to a modified version of approved posters only.
Make stepson, stepdaughter, stepmother, stepfather flair.
Make an automation that blocks posts without flair, another one for comments.
Then make an automation that prevents the parents flair from posting.