Bullying on social networks

WhatsApp

WhatsApp Messenger lets people sends instant messages, videos, photos, and short audio messages to either one person or within a group chat. Messages can only be sent to other smartphone users who also have WhatsApp. Once you install the app, it checks your address book to see if anyone else you know is already using WhatsApp, and connects you automatically. You have to be over 16 to use WhatsApp legally. Bullying can take many forms as it is a messaging service and we often hear of abusive group chats. You can block and delete the contact. WhatsApp have a safety centre for parents and guardians that you may find helpful to read. 

TikTok

TikTok is a fun app for many young people. It has increased in popularity and is a platform that allows users to create short videos incorporating music. If you are worried about your child experiencing bullying on TikTok, visit their safety centre first and foremost. If you want to report bullying directly to them, please click here. There are some safety points to consider when using this app. Ensure that all privacy and security settings are checked and are private rather then public. When your profile is private, you have the ability to approve or deny any followers from viewing your content. If comments are made on your video, you have the ability to delete it. If someone is making you feel upset or they are being inappropriate, you can block them too. Ensure as a parent that you have access to your child's account so that can monitor it fully. Please remember that this app is for those aged 13 and over. if you suspect that someone under this age are using it, you can report this by clicking here. 

You have the option to deactivate or delete your account. Deactivating your TikTok account allows you to put it on a temporary hold. When you're ready to get back on TikTok, you can reactivate it anytime. If you would like more information on deleting your account, please visit this page from the Tik Tok Help Centre.

If you are a parent or guardian, you can use Family Pairing to link your account to your teen's account. Once you turn it on, you will be able to set controls including screen time, restricted mode, search functions, privacy settings, messages, comments and more. 

X

If you receive a tweet or reply that you don't like, you can unfollow that person. If they continue to contact you, you can block the user (just click on the head icon on their profile and select block user). You may find that as they are unable to get through to you, they will lose interest. However, if this is not the case and you continue to receive unwanted replies, abuse or threats, please read X's advice on reporting abusive behaviour.  

On X you can choose to protect your tweets so that people can only follow you if you approve them first. You can select this by going into the 'settings menu' then 'security and privacy' and ticking the box for 'protect my tweets'. Find out more about the difference on X between public and protected tweets. You may find it helpful to read their advice on bullying. 

Keep it private

Don’t post anything on a social networking site which gives your real name, address, school, phone number or which will allow a stranger to contact you in real life. Make sure you don't ID your friends either.

Don't upload anything that might embarrass you at a later date. You might not realise it but things you post on the internet now could come back to cause problems for you later on, for instance when you go for an interview for college or a job. So if you are not happy for it to be shown to the world then do not hit send. Remember once you send it you have lost control of that image or comment.

Never be pressured into taking pictures of yourself that you wouldn't want other people to see. Trust your gut instinct over this. Once again, once you hit send, you have lost control over that picture and this can cause anxiety and stress.

If you're using a shared computer at school, in an internet cafe or library then you'll stay logged on even when you close the browser. So don't forget to log off when you've finished the session. Read more tips about staying safe online.

Inappropriate online behaviour

If anyone makes you feel uncomfortable or embarrassed online then please tell your parents or someone that can help. If they're doing it to you then they might also be doing it to other people. It's particularly important never to meet up with anyone you meet online in real life, if anyone suggests that to you and particularly if they suggest you keep it secret that's a real danger sign. 

When you go into a social networking site people might approach you to be a friend but remember that no matter how much they tell you about themselves, they are still strangers and they might not be telling you the truth about themselves. There have been cases of adults pretending to be young people to chat to them online and try and involve you in inappropriate activities. This is called grooming and is a criminal offence. CEOP (The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) investigates cases of sex abuse and grooming on the internet. Incidents can be reported by clicking the red button on the top right hand corner of the CEOP website.

Although the police can get information from your computer's hard drive, it's helpful if you don't delete anything you think is dodgy until the police have decided whether they need it as evidence.

Closing your account

Facebook - to deactivate your Facebook account go to the "settings" tab on the Account page. That will remove your profile and content and nobody will be able to see your details or search for you. But if you decide to reinstate the account later then the whole lot will be restored, including your friends and photos. If you would like to permanently delete your Facebook account, log in to your account, click ‘Privacy and Settings’, ‘See More Settings’ and select ‘Delete my account’. Once you have confirmed your wish to delete your Facebook account it can take up to fourteen days for it to happen. 

X - on the settings tab on your profile, you will see 'deactivate my account' at the bottom. Click on this to delete your account. You have 30 days to change your mind otherwise your profile, all of your tweets and data will be permanently deleted. 

YouTube - click on "My Account" in the top right hand corner and under "Account Settings" click on "Delete Account". Give the reason you're quitting the site and your password and then click "Delete My Account". Log out by clicking the link in the top right hand corner. Your videos will be removed from the site immediately and the thumbnails will disappear as soon as YouTube is updated. Your profile is removed permanently. 

WhatsApp – you can remove the app from your smartphone either through app management in settings or by going into the settings of WhatsApp.

Snapchat - Open the Snapchat app, login and tap the Settings icon in the upper right corner. Navigate to Support and then Learning the Basics and then click on delete an account.

Instagram - Log into Instagram from a mobile browser or computer. You can't temporarily disable your account from within the Instagram app. Click your username in the top right and then select Edit Profile. Click temporarily disable my account in the bottom right and follow the on-screen instructions. If you want to delete your account permanently, go to the Delete Your Account page. If you're not logged into Instagram on the web, you'll be asked to log in first. Select an option from the drop-down menu next to Why are you deleting your account? And re-enter your password. The option to permanently delete your account will only appear after you've selected a reason from the menu. Click or tap permanently delete my account.