Hello
Thank you for your letter. You’ve been very brave, telling us how miserable you feel because of what some girls and boys you know are doing. What you are describing is bullying and cyber bullying. Childline takes that very seriously and we know how cruel it can be.
In your letter you’ve included a transcript of a bullying conversation you had with someone over Facebook. We can’t print it here, because we want everyone – including you – to have confidentiality. However, it tells me that extremely hurtful things were said to you online.
With cyber bullying, I recommend you take care of yourself by fully using all the privacy settings available. For example, on Facebook you can use some of the features on the "My Privacy Page", to block people or limit your profile. If anyone makes an offensive posting, you can use Facebook’s "report link" to make a complaint. Also the police have a terrific website (www.thinkuknow.co.uk) designed for young people, with lots of information about how to keep yourself safe online and with mobiles. Finally, you might also want to think about telling a parent what’s going on, because sometimes help from an adult really is needed.
Our counsellors talk to a lot of young people who are being bullied - whether it be verbally, physically or online – and we would like to talk to you too. You would be able to get more support from us if you could phone us (free on 0800 1111) or have an online chat (like messaging) with one of our counsellors. Also, you might want to check out the ChildLine Message Board on bullying.
Take care
Sam