Ask Sam letter

Hi there,

A prank call is when someone calls someone to make a joke or play a trick on them. At Childline these types of calls are viewed as testing the service, something young people can do to find out a bit more about Childline and how it works.

There are different ways you can speak to a Childline counsellor, often the quickest way to talk to a counsellor is by calling Childline free on 0800 1111. For some young people they can feel nervous talking to a Childline counsellor and especially at first. Sometimes young people can at first call Childline and make a joke or a trick.

This can happen for lots of different reasons. Sometimes young people do this because they’re bored at other times it’s because of peer pressure and for many young people it’s because they want to find out more about Childline and how the service works and if they will be listened to and respected even if they say the most unusual or rudest of things.

Childline will always accept what you say, even if what you’re saying is really a joke or trick. This means that if you tell a counsellor something which makes them believe you or someone else is in danger or someone in a position of trust is hurting a young person they may have to pass that information on. This is because of the Childline confidentiality promise. So while a counsellor will never tell you off for playing a joke or trick, it’s important to remember that what you say is taken seriously too.

Many young people have shared with Childline counsellors or on the message boards how they used to prank the service. You may find it helpful to speak to other young people on the Childline message boards who have also done this. It’s always okay to let a counsellor know too, it’s okay if you’ve done this, the main thing is that you know a Childline counsellor is there to listen and support you online or on the phone whenever you want to talk.

Take care

Sam