All you need to know about the message boards

Talk about anything

You can talk to other people and get support with all sorts of things like family worries, eating problems, self-harm, phobias, puberty, hobbies, and much more. Or you could just share poems, quotes and fun things.

You can read stuff without an account but you have to sign up if you want to post something yourself. It’s the same account you'd need for email or 1-2-1 counsellor chat with a counsellor.

For your safety, you'll be automatically logged out 20 minutes after you stop typing your message. This is to protect you in case you forget to log out of a computer in a public place. If this happens, you'll lose what you've written. So keep an eye on the time and make sure you press ‘send’ when you're ready to post your message.

Your message gets checked before it goes on the boards

Every post is checked by our moderation team first. They work 9am-9pm every day so nothing gets posted during the night. If your post breaks the house rules, they'll send you a message explaining why. You'll find this in your locker.

They also let the counselling team know if you've said something that they're really worried about. They do this to make sure you stay safe. If they think you're in danger or unsafe they'll send you an email to check up on you or try to get you some help. Find out more about our confidentiality promise.

Once you post a thread and it gets accepted by moderation it'll show on the boards. You’ll find it on the board you posted in.

Sign up so you can post on the boards

It's easy to sign up for a locker. Once you've done this you can post on the message boards, save images and use 1-2-1 counsellor chat and email.

helping each other out and
going through
similar
stuff

Check out our message boards

House rules

Please don't:

include any personal info about yourself or somebody you know like surnames, school names, numbers, email addresses or links to social networking profiles
talk about specific locations – you can share info like a large city or county, but specific locations like a small town or the name of your local park could be unsafe
post details of an event you're attending like a university open day, music festival or court case or discuss meeting up
create different accounts to try and confuse or mislead other young people on the boards or share your account or password with anybody else - if we think you’ve done this, your account may be locked
post any remarks that discriminate against people, for example, sexist, transphobic, racist or homophobic
post graphic or detailed descriptions of harmful behaviour, your appearance, explicit language or sexual acts. It’s OK to ask for advice but you can’t ask for tips on how to carry out unsafe behaviour or sexual acts
post sentences or phrases written in other languages which excludes others from the conversation
exaggerate or make up things you know are not true
post messages with information that is used or copied from another website including links, blogs, big chunks of text or song lyrics
post surveys or questionnaires - if you want to know what the community think about a certain issue then post questions or an idea for a survey in Childline Information.

talking about things
always
seems to help

Talk to a Childline counsellor

Want to help a friend?

Check out our tips and advice.

Confidentiality means not telling anyone else about what you’ve said. Find out more.

Links to other sites

It can be great to share links or apps you find helpful. We have to be careful that any link is suitable for everyone. If we can’t accept a link because it’s not been approved, our moderators will pass it on to the hosts to see if it can be used in the future.

8 tips for using the boards

1. Post with respect

Sometimes different opinions are shared so treat other people as you’d like to be treated and keep messages on topic and friendly.

2. Ask if you're unsure

The hosts are here to help you, so if you’re unsure about anything, just ask.

3. Be honest

It can feel like people have worse problems than you and it’s tempting to exaggerate so you get a reply. But the boards are there for all problems, big and small. This includes creating accounts to try and mislead people.

4. Be patient

We're all here to help. Message boards have lots going on. It can be easy to feel like people are ignoring you if you don’t get a reply straight away. But it could be for lots of reasons so try to be patient.

5. Think before you share

Talking about personal details can make you feel good but it could also make you feel a little vulnerable and worried. Before you share anything, try to imagine how you’ll feel once you’ve posted it.

6. Read before replying

Check the time of the last response before posting a reply. If a thread has gone over a month without a reply, you might be starting up a conversation that has come to an end.

7. Be there for others

Reply to other threads if you can. If someone helps you and you see a thread they’ve started, try to reply.

8. Choose your title carefully

The title is the first thing people will see about your thread. Often it's what will make them click and read. So try to avoid titles like 'Help' or 'Advice'.

Get support

We're here for you on the phone or online. Or try getting support from other young people on our message boards.

Get involved

Childline is a place for you - so find out how you can get involved.

Meet your hosts

The message boards hosts are here to answer your questions about Childline. They are Frankie, Jas, Mel and Lou. They’re here to listen to your thoughts and ideas and help you get involved with discussions.

Sometimes there will be posts that they don't see as there are over 5,000 posts every month! If there’s a post or thread you'd like them to have a look at, or if you want to know what other advice there is for your problem, post on the Childline information message board and just ask a host to take a look.

The hosts are not counsellors but they can help you find the support you need. Find out more about the hosts by clicking the links below.