Being bullied, whether in person or online, can be frightening and upsetting. Nobody has the right to belittle you, make you feel bad about yourself or frighten you.
Unfortunately bullying is still common and a lot of young people suffer as a result. You may feel sad, angry or confused about what is happening. Whatever you are feeling is completely normal, everyone deals with the effects of bullying differently.
If you are unsure about what to do or if you simply need someone to talk to, we are here to help. You can talk to us in confidence and we will find the best way forward together.
If you would like to, you can meet with one of our friendly staff in person or you could take part in activities with other young people who have had similar experiences to you.
We will support you in whatever way suits you best. We are here to help you get back on your feet so please get in touch.
It doesn’t matter if you haven’t told anyone about your experience before or if it happened a long time ago. You can find out more about the support we offer on our ‘What We Do’ page.
All of our services are free and confidential
Staying safe
If you are being bullied or want to protect yourself from being bullied in the future these simple steps may help:
- Speak to an adult about what is happening to you. You could talk to a parent or teacher or you can contact us directly to talk about your concerns.
- If the bullying is taking place online you can block the people who harass or abuse you, ask someone you trust for help if you are unsure how to do this.
- All social networks have policies about dealing with inappropriate messages – if you are receiving abusive messages you can take a screenshot and report the issue directly to the network or website you are receiving them on. Ask a trusted adult for help if you are struggling.
- Learn how to set security settings to restrict access to your social media profiles to just family and friends you trust.
Picture and video messaging
If you take a picture of yourself – whether sexual or not – and send it electronically to another person, you must be prepared for the risk it will end up in the public domain.
Even if you trust the person you send it to, that may not be in your control because:
- Your phone/device with the image on may get lost or stolen
- Your friend’s phone/device may be lost or stolen with the image on it.
- Your devices may have malicious software on them which steals the images
- The service you use to send the images may be hacked, and the images stolen
- You may fall out with the person you sent them to, and they may distribute them to others
Remember: Taking, sharing or possessing an indecent photo of anyone under-18, even if you are the person in the picture or the same age as them, is a criminal offence.
If there is an indecent image of you on a website:
- You can try and contact the website and ask them to remove it – there is normally a “contact” button at the bottom of a website’s main page.
- If you believe someone has shared or published sexual images of you without your consent contact 101 to inform police.
- “Revenge porn” – where someone shares private, sexual materials, with the intention of causing embarrassment or distress – is also now a criminal offence, and offenders can be fined and receive up to two years in prison.