Facebook and Twitter will be warned to act on “trolls” who try to shame women who lodge sexual harassment claims in a federal government move to prevent the social media platforms making a traumatic experience worse.

The Minister for Women, Kelly O’Dwyer, has written to the two biggest social media companies and others in a bid to lift their standards in handling posts that turn private complaints into public disputes.

A key concern is the power of social media users to target those who lodge complaints, denying them natural justice and discouraging others from coming forward.

Minister for Women Kelly O'Dwyer. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The move comes amid a political storm over the leaking of a harassment complaint against former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, heightening concerns about the problem of identifying complainants against their will.