Dear Mr Timpson,
I'm a social worker, working in a local authority children in care team, prior to which I worked in advertising strategy for 5 years.
I have been reading with much sadness about the rising number of young people taking their own life after being bullied online on various social media sites. I realise that this is a complex issue which needs a multi-agency prevention strategy, however as a short-term and simple possibility, I was wondering whether a button could be added to many of these sites which just said something like 'I'm being bullied'. By clicking this button, the young person would immediately be taken through to an existing online support forum - for example NSPCC Childline or another service that must exist and allow the young person to chat to a mentor/counsellor online or call them if they felt the need. I feel that many young people need help in that instant, which is what social media and indeed the digital age is all about - and expecting young people to reach out to a teacher the following day, or a parent later that evening, or even pick up the phone to call a helpline, is to misunderstand their mindset and the behaviours that have been ingrained, which mean that in that moment they are fully in the digital world.
It's just one thought but I would be interested in your response.
Kind regards,
