Bullying and Survival Stories

A blanket ban on social media for under-16s may sound like protection, but for many LGBTQ young people it could cut off one of the few safe routes to support, language, and belonging. The UK’s push to make the internet safer for children comes from a real concern. Young people can face bullying, harmful content, grooming, addiction-style app design, and pressure that adults barely understand themselves. None of that should be brushed aside. But a ban is a blunt tool. It treat

School should be a place where you feel safe, supported, and free to be yourself. For me, it was the opposite. The emotional and physical bullying I faced at school didn’t just stay within the classroom walls. It followed me home, invaded my thoughts, and eventually pushed me to a breaking point. Looking back, I realise that moment was the first clear sign of a long-term struggle with depression that I didn’t fully understand at the time. When school feels like emotional tort

School should be a place where every student feels safe and supported. For me, growing up gay in 2004 meant facing daily hostility, name-calling, and isolation. The environment was harsh, and the adults who were supposed to protect me often turned a blind eye. This is my story of navigating a school where being different was met with cruelty, and how those experiences shaped my understanding of resilience and the need for change. The Daily Reality of Bullying From the moment