Hello, my name is S. I am 11 years old and go to secondary school. About a month ago, a guy from my school asked me to send him a picture of myself through a texting app called Kik. I sent the picture ... He started flirting with me, saying I was beautiful and that he loved me. About 10 minutes later, he asked me to take my bra off. I got anxious and scared, I didn't know what to do. I took the picture anyway. The next day, he showed everyone on the bus the picture, my boyfriend dumped me and the whole school knows about it. I constantly get bullied at school and cyber bullied. I cut myself (self - harm) and I am very, very depressed. I am anxious, anorexic, hate the way I look, I have suicidle thoughts and I'm insomniac. Please help me. I seriously don't know what to do. The school hasn't done much about it, and I hate myself and am constantly putting myself down. What on earth do I do ? Thank you very much, S
Sam
Hi there,
Thank you for contacting me to talk about what is going on for you right now. You have done really well explaining what is happening and have been very brave to get in touch.
I can hear that what has happened has been very distressing for you. This guy has abused your trust. He shouldnt have asked you to take the picture in the first place and he certainly shouldnt have shared it with other people. It was very wrong of him to do this. He could also potentially be in trouble with the police because owning a picture of another young person without their bra on is technically illegal.
Unfortunately I get letters from a lot of young people who have found themselves in a similar situation. People will often use a lot of pressure to get someone to send them a naked picture and it can be very hard to say no. You might find it useful to watch the video about sexting in the Explore pages.
You have mentioned that your boyfriend dumped you after what happened with the photo. Youve talked about self-harm and being depressed and sometimes feeling anxious and suicidal. It also seems, from what you say that you may be anorexic. It sounds like you are dealing with a lot of very difficult issues right now. I wonder if anyone else knows just how tough life is feeling for you at the moment. Is there anyone at home or school, like a school nurse, or a counsellor that you could speak to?
I can hear that you are also having to cope with bullying and cyberbullying. You said that the school hasnt done much, which makes me think that you have been brave enough to tell an adult at least some of what has been happening. Unfortunately sometimes you need to tell an adult about bullying more than once before it stops completely. It can feel exhausting and unfair to have to keep finding the energy to ask for help, but you deserve to be supported through this.
Other young people tell us that the ChildLine message boards helps them to understand their situations better and be helped by those who have had similar experiences. You can also always contact a ChildLine counsellor about how you are feeling. They can speak to you confidentially and help you think about the options that you might have.
Take care,
Sam
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