# Question about Locking Users at New User level, and PMs
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/question-about-locking-users-at-new-user-level-and-pms/49407
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [8월 29, 2016, 7:45오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/question-about-locking-users-at-new-user-level-and-pms/49407 "2016-08-29T19:45:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@BCHK](https://meta.discourse.org/u/BCHK)
#### Post date: [8월 29, 2016, 7:45오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/question-about-locking-users-at-new-user-level-and-pms/49407/1 "2016-08-29T19:45:14Z")
How does the locking out of users from PMs work, when we lock a user at “New User” level.
I thought that it prevented PMs. But we have a situation where a person (actually two people - both the recipient and the sender) are locked at “new user” level - and they are still sending PMs back and forth.
Is there a way to lock all PMs, or at least stop a person from sending PMs?
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### Author:  [@Mittineague](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mittineague)
#### Post date: [8월 29, 2016, 7:54오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/question-about-locking-users-at-new-user-level-and-pms/49407/2 "2016-08-29T19:54:50Z")
> [@BCHK](#):
>
> I thought that it prevented PMs
AFAIK TL0 New members can not _initiate_ new messages.
They are not prevented from participating in messages started by others.
At all times were both of these members never above Trust Level 0 ?
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### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [8월 29, 2016, 7:58오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/question-about-locking-users-at-new-user-level-and-pms/49407/3 "2016-08-29T19:58:06Z")
See the setting: `min trust level to send messages`. The default is 1 to create a new personal message, so if they have always been user level 0 and you haven’t changed that setting, then it would seem they shouldn’t be able to create personal messages.
I think that once the personal message is created, though, the cat is out of the bag, so they can continue in that thread.
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### Author:  [@BCHK](https://meta.discourse.org/u/BCHK)
#### Post date: [8월 29, 2016, 8:28오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/question-about-locking-users-at-new-user-level-and-pms/49407/4 "2016-08-29T20:28:23Z")
> [@pfaffman](#):
>
> I think that once the personal message is created, though, the cat is out of the bag, so they can continue in that thread.
Thanks. If anyone knows of a way to stop all PMs - and still allow posting in the forums, let me know.
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### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [8월 29, 2016, 8:30오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/question-about-locking-users-at-new-user-level-and-pms/49407/5 "2016-08-29T20:30:57Z")
Sorry, I thought you were concerned with just level 0 users. Yes, just raise ` min trust level` to 4. Again, I think it’s the case that PMs that are already started will have to be deleted, but that should stop anyone (other than an admin) from creating a personal message.
Oh! I don’t know whether this would also preclude people from using “I want to talk to this person directly and privately about their post” option when flagging a message.
If you can document that a user that is not allowed to send personal messages **is** allowed to send one through the Flagging interface then you’ve found a bug, or at least a feature request.
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### Author:  [@Mittineague](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mittineague)
#### Post date: [8월 29, 2016, 8:37오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/question-about-locking-users-at-new-user-level-and-pms/49407/6 "2016-08-29T20:37:59Z")
I can’t help but think this is a “sledge hammer to kill a fly” approach to a problem that might be better solved a different way.
IMHO there are times when a PM is more appropriate than a public discussion so eliminating the feature feels a bit too extreme to me.
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### Author:  [@BCHK](https://meta.discourse.org/u/BCHK)
#### Post date: [8월 29, 2016, 8:39오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/question-about-locking-users-at-new-user-level-and-pms/49407/7 "2016-08-29T20:39:33Z")
> [@Mittineague](#):
>
> IMHO there are times when a PM is more appropriate than a public discussion so eliminating the feature feels a bit too extreme to me..
We have an medically and mentally “at risk” group of users that could be targets for others - so we have to be very careful about people possibly targeting users via PMs. This is not a normal forum issue I suspect.
PMing the moderators should always be allowed - I’m just trying to protect other users.
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### Author:  [@Mittineague](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mittineague)
#### Post date: [8월 29, 2016, 8:44오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/question-about-locking-users-at-new-user-level-and-pms/49407/8 "2016-08-29T20:44:42Z")
You could try tweaking up the min trust level setting and using a plugin I wrote a while ago.
> [@Kinder Guardian - let New members message Staff](https://meta.discourse.org/t/kinder-guardian-let-new-members-message-staff/45737):
>
> Without this plugin, New members can only contact Staff by email or by replying to their Welcome message This plugin allows them to message Staff from either the Staff members User Card, or the Staff members Profile page. It does not let them send messages to non-Staff members. display the Flag icon or it’s option to send a message from its modal. let them send messages from their own Profile page. let them send messages if the site has them disabled
I’ve been intending to put together a PR but haven’t been able to get very far with it so far. More a Real Life getting in the way thing than for any other reason.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [8월 29, 2016, 10:21오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/question-about-locking-users-at-new-user-level-and-pms/49407/9 "2016-08-29T22:21:10Z")
Then simply close the specific PM.
**Users can _always_ reply to a PM someone has sent them, regardless of their trust level.**
So, if you have users PM’ing a new TL0 user, that new user _will_ be able to reply to those PMs.
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### Author:  [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [3월 1, 2019, 9:28오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/question-about-locking-users-at-new-user-level-and-pms/49407/10 "2019-03-01T09:28:38Z")
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [3월 3, 2019, 10:26오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/question-about-locking-users-at-new-user-level-and-pms/49407/11 "2019-03-03T22:26:04Z")