Anti-Bullying and Online Safety

Anti-bullying Online Safety

Anti-bullying

Everyone deserves the right to be educated in peace & in safety. 

If you find it difficult to talk to anyone at school or at home about being bullied, ring or visit the ChildLine website. The phone call is free and confidential:​

What is bullying?

There is no legal definition of bullying. But it is usually defined as repeated behaviour which is intended to hurt someone either emotionally or physically and is often aimed at certain people because of their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation or any other aspect such as appearance or disability. Bullying can have a massive impact on your mental health, both now and in the future. In fact, recent research has shown that if you’re bullied as a child or teenager, you might be twice as likely to use mental health services as an adult.

Bullying can take many forms including:​

  • Physical Assault
  • Social Bullying
  • Threatening Behaviour 
  • Name Calling
  • Cyberbullying

It can be to your face or online. One-off problems, reactions to your unkindness or arguments with friends are upsetting but not bullying.

Family Lives - WHat is bullying?

If bullying happens:

  • Try to remain calm and confident.
  • Tell the bullies to STOP.
  • Get away.
  • Get help.
  • Screenshot if you are online.

Then:

  • Tell someone at home
  • Tell an adult in school or tell a Student Leader (who will tell an adult for you) or email: [email protected]

To help the adults help you, be clear about: 

  • What has happened to you
  • How often
  • Who was involved
  • Where it happened
  • When it happened
  • Other witnesses
  • Screenshots if you were online
  • What you have done about it already

You may be asked to keep a diary and show it to a trusted adult.

What will happen:

  • We will work with you so you feel safe.
  • We will make sure you have a trusted person in school you can talk to.
  • We will speak to the bully and make them aware of the consequences if they continue bullying you.
  • We will offer you support to help stop the bullying.
  • We offer mediation between you, your friendship circle and the bully (if this is something you are happy with).

Online Safety

What is online safety?

Online Safety is being aware of the nature of the possible threats that you could encounter whilst engaging in activity through the internet.

Whilst the breadth of issues classified within online safety is considerable, they can be categorised into four areas of risk (the 4Cs):​

  • Content: being exposed to illegal, inappropriate or harmful content. For example, pornography, fake news, racism, misogyny, self-harm, suicide, anti-Semitism, radicalisation and extremism.
  • Contact: being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users. For example, peer to peer pressure, commercial advertising and adults posing as children or young adults with the intention to groom or exploit them for sexual, criminal, financial or other purposes.
  • Conduct: personal online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm. For example, making, sending and receiving explicit images (including consensual and non-consensual sharing of nudes and semi-nudes and/or pornography), sharing other explicit images and online bullying.
  • Commerce: risks such as online gambling, inappropriate advertising, phishing and or financial scams.

click here for the gov guidance on online safety

How to report online harm

Before you decide to use a social media service, make sure you know how to report harm if it happens.

See below for a list of resources and people who are there to help if you are experiencing issues.

CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection)

CEOP helps any child or young person under the age of 18 who is being pressured, forced or tricked into taking part in sexual activity of any kind. This can be something that has taken place either online or in ‘the real world’, or both. The CEOP Safety Centre has clear information and advice on what can be reported to CEOP, the reporting process and what will happen if you do decide to make a report. You can visit the CEOP Safety Centre and make a report directly to CEOP by clicking the link below.

Click here to go to the CEOP website

When should I tell an adult?

If any of the following issues happen to you online, you MUST inform a trusted adult at home or school immediately.  It should also be reported to CEOP.

  • Someone online has asked you to send them nude images.
  • You shared a nude image with someone online and they are threatening you.
  • You did something that you were embarrassed about on webcam and someone has turned nasty towards you.
  • Someone you don’t know is asking you to live-stream and do things you don’t want to do.
  • Someone online keeps asking you to meet them face-to-face and you feel pressured by them.
  • Someone online was talking to you about sex and it made you feel uncomfortable.
  • Someone online is putting pressure on you to do things you don’t want to do.
  • Someone you met in an online game keeps trying to talk to you privately.

When should I go to the police?

Click here for information about when an issue should be reported to the police.

Are you spending too much time online?

Spending too much time online can damage your physical and mental health. Too much time sitting on devices means you are not getting as much exercise as your body needs. Time on screens has also been shown to increase anxiety, difficulty getting enough sleep, damage your social skills and make you more vulnerable to others. Therefore it is important to balance the time you spend online with different activities.​

Five tips to control your time online​

  • Schedule your online time – For example, force yourself to switch off at least one hour before you sleep, do not put your phone next to where you sleep and take regular breaks away from a screen.​
  • Disable unnecessary notifications – So you are not constantly disturbed by pointless messages from people or places that don’t matter.
  • Not many messages or posts really need a response – So don’t waste time doing so. 
  • Go for a walk or get some exercise.
  • Real people and what they think is more important. Spend more time with them.