What can I do now to stop textbullying?
What if I’m still getting text bullied?
Who can I talk to about text bullying?
What can I do now to stop textbullying?
Here’s what you could do right now to make things better:
- Keep telling yourself: ‘This bullying is wrong, it’s not my fault and I’m not putting up with it!’
- Tell an adult you trust – maybe your mum, dad, carer, another relative or a teacher, school counsellor, your doctor or a youth club worker. They can really help you get it sorted. And no, speaking up doesn’t make you a wimp or a grass! There’s more in Who can I talk to about text bullying?
- Talk to a friend you really trust – just getting it off your chest will make you feel loads better. But tell an adult too!
- You (and your trusted adult) can tell the local police. It’s against the law to make a call or send a text or email that’s really abusive or menacing, or to keep sending messages that will annoy someone or make them anxious. The sender could get fined or even go to prison!
- If there’s a website, online voting site, weblog or message board that says bad things about you, save a copy or print it off. The internet service provider that hosts the site should have an email address where you can send the copy and ask them to get rid of it. Ask your trusted adult to help you contact the ISP.
- Don’t delete any nasty messages, however bad they make you feel. It’ll really help if you keep every text, email, chat message, picture message, etc. Most bullies won’t expect you to! More on this…
- Never reply to the bully or send an even nastier message back. It proves they really got to you, and that’s just what they want. They might even complain about you!
- Don’t record your own voicemail and say your name, as a bully will know it’s definitely your number.
- Stay phone, chat or email-free for a few days! Let your phone take messages and don’t chat or check texts or emails. If you really need to make calls, find out if your phone can turn off incoming texts for a while. The bully might just get bored and stop.
- Make sure only good friends and family are in your phone or email address book. If you don’t recognise a number, caller ID or email, leave it and get an adult to check it later.
- If you really like using a chatroom, you could sign up again with a different chat ID – use a nickname and don’t give any of your personal info. Hold back for a bit in the chatroom until you’re sure the bully’s gone.
- Instant messaging usually lets you block someone you don’t want to chat with – try the ‘Help’ or ‘Tools’ button or ask an adult for help.
- Remember that it’s not just happening to you – one in five 11 to 19 year olds have been bullied or threatened by their mobile or PC. So tell all your mates about this site – the more young people who visit, the quicker we can all stop text, email and other ‘cyber’ bullying.
- Look after your mates – if you think someone you know is getting text bullied, tell them about this site!
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