Seeking support online

Online spaces are a great way to find support from others. It offers the opportunity to be able to connect with professionals who can offer advice and help, or people who are going through similar problems to you or have gone through them in the past.

No matter how helpful someone appears to be, it is still important to be cautious about who is offering support.

Unfortunately, some people target and take advantage of young people who are feeling lonely, isolated and looking for support. They might begin by offering support, but then try and get young people to do things they don’t want to do, like putting them under pressure to do or talk about sexual things.

• Keep private information to yourself. It is best to keep some information, like your full name, address and school, private when you’re speaking to someone you don’t know in real life. If someone asks you to share this information, you don’t have to tell them. If they don’t take no for an answer and keep pressuring you, it is best to block and report them.

• Stick to trusted services. There are lots of trustworthy places to get advice online such as Childline, The Mix and YoungMinds. These official sites check and moderate advice and posts. Be mindful of websites not checked by professionals, where people want to send you private messages or chat over video. These  interactions won’t be monitored or supported . It is safest not to respond to people who ask you to do this.

• There is support offline too. Online may seem like the best place to seek support, but there are plenty of support services offline as well. Sometimes human interaction may make you feel more comfortable to talk about how you’re feeling. It’s can also be really helpful to talk to an adult you trust.