Ask Sam

Hi there,

Thank you for writing to me.

It’s not okay for anyone to call you names and accuse you of lying. What is happening to you is bullying, and it can happen to anyone. No one has the right to make you feel bad about yourself or make you feel scared to go anywhere or do anything.

Some people deliberately set out to bully other people. And some people might not even realise that what they’re doing is bullying. Either way, it’s not okay for anyone to act like this towards you.

It can feel hard to know how to respond. When someone says horrible things to you online or through text message, replying to their message can feel like the right thing to do to protect yourself. But, this can encourage the person to send another message and make it go on for longer. Instead, it’s a good idea to try and block any contact with anyone that’s bullying you. Find out more about staying safe online.

You have the right to tell someone that their behaviour is upsetting you and ask them to stop. This can be a frightening thing to do but you don’t have to do it alone. You might want to talk with a ChildLine counsellor about what to want to say to the bullies. Or you might want to get some help from an adult you trust to help you put a stop to the bullying.

When the people who are bullying you go to the same school as you, school can start to feel like a scary place to be. But you have the right to be there and feel safe when you’re there. Your school has a duty to protect you from bullying and to keep you safe. Teachers and other members of staff are there to make sure that this happens, so you could talk to them too. It might be a good idea to keep any text messages that you receive from the bullies so that you can show them what is happening.  

Sometimes just talking through how your feeling and what’s been going on can make you feel better too.

I hope this helps.

Take care,
Sam