What can I do?
Remember, bullying is not your fault, bullying is hurtful and is unacceptable in any form. The most important thing you can do is to tell someone you trust what is happening so that they can help you.
Do:
- Tell a friend
- Tell a parent or family member
- Tell a teacher, a mentor, or a school counsellor
- Sometimes it’s helpful to talk to someone on the telephone who doesn’t know you. ChildLine has a free confidential helpline for young people and can give advice and support about what to do
Other things you can do:
- Walk to school with friends or get a lift
- Stay with friends and ask them to look out for you
- Block bullies on social media
- Keep copies/screenshots of abusive messages as evidence
- Find out about your schools anti-bullying policy, such as who to talk to and what can be done
- Keep a record of things that happen to you to show the school
Try NOT to:
- Fight back – sometimes this is what the bullies want
- Reply to abusive messages – again, this is sometimes what the bullies want and can encourage them to keep sending hurtful messages
- Keep the bullying to yourself – it’s always better to talk to someone about what’s happening so that they can support you in putting a stop to the bullying
Where can I get support?
Don’t ignore the bullying as unfortunately this won’t make it go away. Talk to your parents, carers or teachers. All schools have anti-bullying policies in place that are there to help students. Often you can find these on your school website and they will explain what your school can do to help stop the bullying
Bullying can have a big impact on the way you feel. Young people have described feeling lonely, anxious, isolated and low in mood when they have been bullied. If you are experiencing these feelings and they are impacting on your day-to-day life, then you need to talk to your family, a GP, a school counsellor, or someone else who you trust. They can help to get you the right emotional support you need, and help put a stop to the bullying.
We’ve included some really helpful websites at the bottom of the page if you’d like any more information.
Getting More Help
Talking to family and friends about your worries can help you feel more supported. You might want to talk to someone outside the family like a GP, teacher or mentor at school, or even a friend’s parent. Choose someone you trust and if you find it difficult to talk about how you are feeling, you could write them a letter or send them a text. Support is also available through Childline, Compass Phoenix and Recovery College Online.
Childline
Childline provides a free and confidential telephone service for children and young people up to the age of 19.
Visit Childline website Call 0800 1111BUZZ US
Compass Phoenix offers a confidential text messaging service, called BUZZ US, to young people aged 11-18 across North Yorkshire.
Visit Compass Phoenix website Call 07520 631168Recovery College Online
The Recovery College Online provides a range of online educational courses and resources to people with mental illness.
Visit Recovery College OnlineGetting Urgent Help
If you’ve seriously injured yourself or taken an overdose call 999 or get immediate medical advice from NHS 111.
If you are in a crisis and feel like you can’t cope, speak to somebody straight away. Search below for help or see the Urgent Help page for contact details for the North Yorkshire single point of access Crisis Service.
Things you might find useful
The Anti-Bullying Alliance
Website with lots of helpful websites and phone numbers.
Visit Anti-Bullying Alliance websiteThinkuknow
Advice on protecting your privacy, online dating, cyberbullying and more.
Visit Thinkuknow websiteDitch the Label
Ditch the Label is an international anti-bullying charity with a helpful support forum.
Visit Ditch the Label websiteKidscape
Kidscape is a leading anti-bullying charity. Their help line offers advice and support for parents and carers who are concerned about their child being bullied.
Visit Kidscape websiteSupport for Online Bullying
Questions you may have about online bullying answered, top tips and where to get help.
Visit Childnet website