Hi there,
Thanks very much for your letter. It sounds like things with this girl have been really hard for you, especially with her starting to send hurtful things over text. Im very glad that youre talking about it.
Settling into a new school can be a really stressful time, so I would imagine that its pretty difficult to be dealing with this bullying as well. Nobody has the right to bully you. Its important to remember that you have a right to feel safe and happy at school, and that the school has a responsibility to protect you.
Its a good idea to think about how to get help when youre being bullied. If people dont know whats happening, it makes it very hard for them to help. Sometimes it can be scary to think about telling an adult or a teacher. When youre thinking about whether or not to tell someone, it might help to think about who youd find it easiest to trust, and when would be a good time to speak to them. Perhaps you could even have a plan of what you could do if telling that first person doesnt work out. Even if youve told someone about bullying once, its okay to keep telling them, or someone different, if the bullying carries on.
You said this girl has been sending you mean names over text message. Some mobile handsets will let you block messages from a specific number, so that might be worth trying. Its always good to keep nasty messages if you can, so that you can show them to a parent or adult. The text messages are really good proof of what this girl is doing. Theres some more information about being bullied over the phone on the Mobile phone safety page in Explore.
You might find talking to a ChildLine counsellor helpful. They are trained to listen to whatever you want to talk about. They can give you a safe space to say as much or as little as you feel able to. You can contact them online by logging in for a 1-2-1 chat (which works like instant messenger), by calling on 0800 1111 (its completely free and wont show up on the phone bill) or by sending them an email.
It would be a good idea to have a look at the Bullying page in Explore for more information. You might also find it really helpful to have a look at the Cyber Mentors website, which offers you the chance to chat with other young people that are being bullied.
Take care,
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
