When I was younger I made little stupid videos at the age of 9 or 10 and now they have been resurfaced around my school and everyone is bringing it up.
Even my best friends are ignoring and avoiding me because of the videos and some people have even edited them to make them look even more stupid
I just entered Year 9 now and it‘s already horrible, I cant walk anywhere without someone coming up to me about these videos, and some people have even been playing these videos on their phones in school for everyone to see. It is super distressing and overwhelming for me and I cant bear it anymore. I usually lock myself in the bathroom in lunch or break, these few weeks have been the apocalypse.
Help me!! :(
Sam
Hi there,
Bullying is never okay, no matter what someone is bullying you for. It can feel like there’s no way to stop bullying once it's started but there are things you can try which might help. What we say and do online can stay around for a long time. It's important to know how to stay in control of the things you create so you have the choice about what happens to it.
Bullying can make life really hard. It’s difficult not having control over when it happens - and you might feel like nowhere is safe from it, especially if you’re being bullied online. There isn't one easy solution for bullying. But a few different approaches and some time may help things get better. You could start with talk about what's happening with someone - this can be a teacher at school, parent or relative or a Childline counsellor - and go through your options. Trying to deal with bullying on your own can make it much harder to cope with.
If you’re still proud of the videos you made, you could try standing your ground and keeping them online. Nobody should make you feel like what you created isn't worth sharing with others. You don't have to change for the bullies - they’re the ones in the wrong. It might be that you can make more videos if you enjoyed making the original ones.
On the other hand if you feel like you don't want the videos online anymore then you can take steps to take them down. Whenever you post something - whether it's a video, a comment, a blog or a photo - it's important to remember that once it's online, it might be difficult to stay in control of it. If you’re using apps and websites like YouTube or Instagram, make sure you keep control of the account so you can log in later to remove it if you change your mind. This might be many years from now so it's good to keep email addresses and passwords updated.
No matter what you do, it's very difficult to keep something private once you’ve posted it online. Take time to think about whether what you want to post – whether it’s a comment, a photo or a video – is something you would be comfortable keeping online. If you’d like to talk to someone about how you’re feeling, Childline counsellors are always here to listen.
I hope this has helped, thanks for sharing this with me.
Take care.
Sam
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