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Being bullied because you're deaf
Bullying can happen to anyone. And it can have a big effect on how you feel. Whether it’s happened online, offline or both, it's wrong and we've got advice to help.
am i being bullied?
Bullying is when someone says or does things to make you feel bad on purpose. But it's not always easy to tell if someone's bullying you.
Bullying can include:
- Being called names, teased or making fun of your cochlear implants
- Ignoring you or leaving you out
- Whispering or turning away so you don't know what's said
- Using made up signs
- Hurting or threatening you
- Having your things stolen or broken
- Doing anything on purpose to make you feel bad
Bullying can happen anywhere, at school, when you're out or online.
Nobody has the right to bully you. If you're being bullied, there are ways to get support and you can chat or sign to a Childline counsellor any time.
3 things to remember:
- bullying is never your fault
- tell someone you trust, like a parent or teacher
- you can block and report people who bully on social networks.
Being bullied because you're d/Deaf
How to Stop bullying
- Tell someone
Talk to an adult you trust about what’s happening so they can help. Or if you aren’t able to, chat or sign to a Childline counsellor using SignVideo (anchor link)
- Don’t respond to bullies
Responding to nasty messages or saying things back can make things worse or make you unsafe
- Report and block people online
If you are being bullied on a social networking site like Snapchat or Instagram, you can report it and block the person on the site or app
- Distract yourself
Try doing something you enjoy like playing a game, or spending time with people who make you feel good about yourself
- Talk to the police
If someone hurts you because you’re deaf, that can be a hate crime. You can speak to the police any time someone makes you feel unsafe or commits a crime against you.
ways to feel better
Bullying can have a big effect on how you feel. It can affect your self-esteem or make you feel alone or depressed. However you're feeling, we've got things to help you feel better:
If you’re feeling upset because of something someone's said, take some long, deep breaths. Breathe in and out with the cloud.
chat or sign to a counsellor
There are lots of ways to get support from Childline if you're deaf. You can have a 1-2-1 chat, send a message to a counsellor or use SignVideo.
Using BSL with SignVideo
SignVideo lets you contact a counsellor through a BSL interpreter. You can use it between Monday – Friday, 8am - 8pm and on Saturdays, 8am - 1pm.
How to use SignVideo:
- open SignVideo and click "allow webcam"
- if an error message appears that says that your browser is not supported, just click 'close and don't show again'.
- when you're connected, an interpreter will appear on your screen
- you can chat to the interpreter in BSL
- they'll translate your conversation to the counsellor.
Want to phone more than once?
Whenever you phone Childline, we’ll keep some confidential notes about what you’ve told us. If you phone again using SignVideo, you can ask Chlidline to find those notes.
To make sure we can find what you’ve spoken to us about before, you’ll need to share a few details about yourself with Childline. This includes things like your name and how old you are.
Helping us find your notes can stop you feeling like you have to repeat yourself, but that’s always your choice. Even if you don’t want to share details about yourself, you can keep contacting us using SignVideo any time.
Contacting Childline when you’re d/Deaf
videos about bullying
How to deal with bullies
Overcoming challenges
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