Devastating Video Shows How Cyberbullying Can Cause Kids To Have Suicidal Thoughts | HuffPost Life

It is affecting children as young as nine.

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Life editor at HuffPost UK

Children as young as nine are seeking help with suicidal thoughts because they are targets of cyberbullying, a national charity has revealed.

The Prevention of Young Suicide charity PAPYRUS mainly takes calls from its helpline from 11- to 18-year-olds, 40% of whom speak about the effects of cyberbullying with the dominating theme that there “is no escape” from it.

But HOPELineUK is also contacted by younger children, and those aged up to 25, which means it’s an issue parents need to be aware of before their kids start secondary school.

In response to the findings, the charity has launched a hard-hitting video titled #BedtimeStories, showing the harsh comments children experience online.

They hope to highlight the fact that children tend to read such comments at night, and they keep them up because they are alone with no one around to tell them to ignore them.

PAPYRUS

Examples of calls to the charity’s helpline include children saying: “I wish I wasn’t here, everyone is saying nasty things about my picture on Facebook” and “people are telling me the truth about what they think of me on social media and that they want me to die”.

In the film, a mum sits down with her daughter in bed holding a book and reads out comments the child has read online about herself. These include: “you have no friends” and “your hair always look greasy”. The child is then left alone in the dark reading the comments on her laptop.

A PAPYRUS spokesperson said parents have told them they often have no idea their son or daughter may be reading these comments or experiencing the negative side of social media. The charity hopes to encourage parents to start a conversation with their kids about their online activity.

PAPYRUS

“Social media can be a hugely positive influence in young people’s lives, but it is timely to remind parents about the more sinister aspects of some of our children’s digital activity and, sadly, what they are saying to each other online,” said Ged Flynn, PAPYRUS’ chief executive.

“Children and young people tell us daily that they feel the bullying behaviour they experience will never stop, so often they feel that they may as well be dead. In short, cyberbullying can kill.”

PAPYRUS shared guidelines with HuffPost UK for parents to share with young people detailing what to do if they are being bullied online:

1. Remember it’s not you, it’s them: “No one has the right to make you feel this way.”

2. Don’t react: “Reaction and retaliation are two things people who bully strive for. Instead, surround yourself with people who make you feel good about yourself and think about switching off social media.”

3. Save, block and report: “Make sure you screenshot or take a picture of the comments. You can report their comments to the social media site, too.”

4. Tell someone: “Speak to a trusted adult or friend so you can get support.”

5. Take action: “Take the next step, whether it’s telling the people who are bullying to stop or speaking to those who can do that for you. It may be beneficial to allow the school to address the situation.”

If you are a young person or worried about a young person, contact PAPYRUS HOPELineUK for confidential, practical help and advice: telephone 0800 068 41 41 text 07786 209 697 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org

Before You Go

This Is How Bad It Is To Be A Young Person With Mental Health Issues In 2016

Nearly a quarter of children and young people are being turned away by providers(01 of09)

Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) are turning away nearly a quarter (23%) of all children and young people referred to them for help by parents, GPs, teachers and others.

This was often because their condition was not deemed serious enough or suitable for specialist mental health treatment. (credit:© Naufal MQ via Getty Images)

You might not be able to access specialist support if your BMI isn’t low enough(02 of09)

CentreForum noted that in some cases, support for anorexia was denied unless a young person was under a certain BMI threshold. (credit:Donald Iain Smith via Getty Images)

You might not be able to get specialist support if you’re hearing voices(03 of09)

Criteria in one area suggested those “hearing voices in the context of mild anxiety, low self-esteem or low mood” should see their GP or voluntary sector counselling service and only be referred to CAMHS if they “heard voices that command particular behaviours”. (credit:H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock via Getty Images)

You might not be able to access specialist support if you've only expressed suicidal thoughts once(04 of09)

CentreForum found one CAMHS would refer people to more generic support unless they had “enduring suicidal ideation” (i.e. they had felt they wanted to commit suicide on more than one occasion). (credit:Jacques LOIC via Getty Images)

You might not be able to get specialist support if your condition hasn't reached a high level of severity(05 of09)

In some areas, referrals were not accepted unless the young person's condition was “having a major impact on the child’s life such as an inability to attend school or involving a major breakdown in family relationships”. (credit:Arvydas Kniuk?ta via Getty Images)

Maximum waiting times for services have more than doubled in the last two years(06 of09)

CentreForum's analysis of NHS Benchmarking data found that the average of the maximum waiting times for all providers has more than doubled since 2011/12. (credit:Hero Images via Getty Images)

Maximum and average waiting times vary greatly(07 of09)

Respondents reported maximum waiting times ranging from four weeks to over two and a half years. The average of these longest waiting times for each service was nearly 10 months for treatment to begin.

Average waiting times for different providers also varied widely, from two weeks in Cheshire to 19 weeks in North Staffordshire. The average waiting time in Gateshead is five times as long as for those in nearby Tyneside. Similarly, waits in London vary widely from two months in Kensington and Chelsea to nearly six months in neighbouring Brent. (credit:Aaron McCoy via Getty Images)

There were also 'hidden waits' concealed in average waiting times(08 of09)

CentreForum has uncovered that the median of the maximum waiting times for all providers was 26 weeks (6 months) for a first appointment and nearly ten months (42 weeks) for the start of treatment.

Some providers did not even measure waiting times at all, meaning that some patients could even be waiting longer than this. (credit:Jupiterimages via Getty Images)

Where you live can affect how much is spent on your treatment(09 of09)

CentreForum’s analysis of regional expenditure on mental health also revealed a North/South divide, with northern regions spending more on services while capacity problems exist in the South. (credit:Sverrir Thorolfsson Iceland via Getty Images)

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