Royal Family's new social media guidelines want people to stop being jerks

The Royal Family kindly asks that you show some decency on its social media accounts. 

On Monday, the family tweeted a link to newly published social media community guidelines for channels run by The Royal Family, Clarence House and Kensington Palace.  

The guidelines ask users to refrain from posting comments containing spam or that are defamatory, offensive, threatening or hateful, among other things. Comments also can't "promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age." In addition, comments can't be "off-topic, irrelevant or unintelligible," and they can't include advertisements or promotions. 

The Royal Family says it has a right to hide or delete comments on its channels and block users who don't stick to the guidelines. If necessary, it'll also send comments to law enforcement authorities for investigation. 

"The aim of our social media channels is to create an environment where our community can engage safely in debate and is free to make comments, questions and suggestions," the guidelines read. "We ask that anyone engaging with our social media channels shows courtesy, kindness and respect for all other members of our social media communities."

Duchesses Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle have been the target of hateful comments online, many of which are sexist and racist. In January, Kensington Palace reportedly asked Instagram and Twitter for help in curbing abusive comments. 

In its new guidelines, the Royal Family requests people show "courtesy, kindness and respect for all other members of our social media communities."

So take heed, the queen has spoken.