Be kind online

[Animated video with upbeat tune in background. Various clips of a student playing video games, talking and spending time with friends are shown]

Every weekend,
my friends and I play games together.
We got so good, it was amazing.

During lunch break at school,
we’d talk about online gaming a lot.
I really wanted us to be the best,
and I looked forward to each weekend when we could play.

[Screen shows speaker at computer looking concerned and upset. Mean names and comments appear on computer screen]

Last weekend was different, though.
I messed up pretty badly and we lost a lot of rounds, but that's not why I feel so bad.

My friends kicked me out of the party
and said some pretty horrible things.
I thought we were friends,
but I guess they weren’t, really.

They walked away when I went to sit with them at lunch.
They just made me feel awful.

[Speaker pictured talking to friend at school, seeking comport and support]

I talked to a close friend at school about it.
He helped me realise that I’d done nothing wrong, and it wasn’t my fault.
He asked if I wanted to game with him instead.

My friend really listened to me, and playing together as mates was way more important than a mistake I made in a game.

[Speaker talking to parents at dinner table]

He also encouraged me to talk to my parents about it, and they helped me find ways to turn a bad situation into a positive one.

Talking to my friends and parents about it made me feel so much better.

Talk to someone you trust, whether that’s your friends, a trusted adult, or Kids Helpline.

[Text on screen reads Be kind online]

[animated video shows girl waving hello, playing and dancing]

Hey, I’m Molly.
I’m in Year Six, and I love music and dancing.
My friends and I like to sing and dance together for fun.

[Shows screen in process of recording Molly without her consent]

But one day, someone filmed me without me knowing,
then shared the video around.
I never said they could do that.

[Students making fun of Molly by copying her dancing from the video]

The next day, some classmates started copying my singing and dancing.
At first, I thought it was funny, but they didn’t stop.
And over time, their impressions became really mean.
The more upset I became, the meaner they got.

Now I don’t want to dance anymore,
even though it’s something I love doing.

[Friend checking in on Molly and seeing the mean photos and comments online. The friends go with Molly to speak to a teacher for help]

My friends asked if I was okay.
They suggested I screenshot the mean posts and block those accounts to help stop it.
I tried to ignore it, but it wasn’t getting any better, so we decided to ask our teacher for help.

My teacher helped me report the content to the platform and told my parents.
She said if the content isn’t removed,
we can make a report to eSafety.

Mum and Dad helped me find ways to cope with the situation.

Our school reminded everyone
that you should always ask for permission before you share photos, videos,
or any information about someone online.

It’s everyone’s responsibility to be kind online.

I won’t let this stop me from being myself and having fun.

If cyberbullying happens to you, make sure you tell someone, like your friends, a trusted adult, or Kids Helpline.

[Animated video clip with music beat shows teenagers using technology and interacting with an anonymous social media account]

I started an anonymous account for my school.
I thought it would be funny if everyone sent me photos and confessions to post.

My account became really popular. I was getting so many messages.
It felt good to own a page that everyone wanted to be part of.

Some of the stuff people sent me was a bit risky, but I figured I wasn’t the one taking the photos, I was just sharing the posts they’d created.

And that’s when things got out of control.

[Shows mean posts on phone and upset peers]

Some of my friends said I’d gone too far,
but I didn’t believe them.
I thought everyone found the account funny.
Well… I thought they did.

I didn’t realise I was actually hurting people.

[Speaker shown in assembly, realising the impact of her anonymous social media account]

We had a whole school assembly,
and the principal talked about how negative anonymous accounts
can cause significant impact and distress
to individual students targeted
and to the whole school community.

That’s when I realised I’d gone too far.

My account was deleted because of all the reports it received.

[Speaker apologises and reaches out to other students to repair damage]

I tried to fix what I’d done. I know saying sorry doesn’t fix all the hurt I caused, but I’m learning to make the right choices.

[Video pans to speaker talking to camera with text appearing on screen to reflect the following spoken words]

We all have a responsibility to be kind and respectful to others online.

Ask before you share information or post a photo of someone online. And if they say no, or they’re not sure, respect their decision and don’t share it.

Be kind online.

[Light music plays in background. Animated video shows speaker with peers. Drawn annotations and hearts surround characters] 

In Year 10, I had a huge crush on a really cute boy, Jayden.
We started going out. He asked me to send him an intimate photo.
I trusted him. I thought it was just between us but he shared it with his friends.

[Video shows hand pressing send on an image and a boy receiving it and showing his friends]

That’s when the problem started.

Jayden’s friends shared my photo online with a nasty story about me. Everyone saw the photo that was meant to be private.

[Panning between clips of friend comforting speaker and speaking alone in their bedroom looking upset]

I spoke to my friend, who said I should report it, but I thought it was my fault for sending the photo. I felt so embarrassed. I didn’t want to talk to anyone or go to school. And the thought of my parents finding out made me feel sick. I didn’t know who to talk to.

My friend asked if I was okay. She noticed I wasn’t acting like myself. She encouraged me to speak with the guidance counsellor at school.

[Guidance counsellor and main character talking at a table, they use laptop together to visit the eSafety website]

It was hard to tell the guidance counsellor what had happened, but she made me feel a lot better by explaining it wasn’t my fault.

She said it’s okay to say no when someone asks for an intimate photo, even if it’s someone you trust.

She also sat with me
while we went to the eSafety website
to see what advice they had to help me.

The school also helped me tell my mum.
The principal explained that this can happen to anyone, and how it could even be a crime.

[Students, p[arents and school leaders discussing]

Jayden and his friends had to explain to the principal and their parents what they had done and how it could have very serious consequences.

Even though it was difficult, I felt so much better after reaching out to my friends and speaking up.

If you're being cyberbullied, speak up and tell someone you trust, whether that’s your friends, a trusted adult, Kids Helpline, or Headspace.
Because we all have the right to feel safe online.

[Text on screen read "Be kind online"]