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22nd Jan 2018

Girl shares upsetting messages to mum after being cyber-bullied

Her schoolmates shared cruel images of her.

Anna O'Rourke

A teenage girl has opened up about being bullied by her classmates on social media over her weight.

Photos of the girl, known only as Bailey, were taken and shared by other pupils at her high school.

She texted her mum asking her to bring her a change of clothes at school when she realised what was happening.

A screenshot of messages she sent her mum have gone viral. The image drives home the reality of cyber-bullying.

Teen shares upsetting messages to mum after being cyber-bullied

Her mum appears to have come straight away once she realised how serious the situation was.

Bailey posted the screenshot to Twitter, where it quickly went viral.

She also posted a screenshot of a cruel Snapchat photo one of her bullies took.

Teen shares upsetting messages to mum after being cyber-bullied

Bailey’s Twitter account is now private but the images were tweeted by fellow Twitter user IssaInfluencer to raise awareness about bullying.

Other Twitter users shared their disgust at how Bailey has been treated and praised the girl’s mother for her response to the situation.

This mum may have gained praise for reacting so quickly to her daughter’s distress, but how can parents deal effectively with the issue?

A 2017 survey reported that one in ten kids in Ireland has been cyber-bullied in some way.

In a world where we’re all on social media so often, it’s worth keeping an eye on your teenager’s phone and attempt to engage with them, says child psychologist David Carey.

Teen shares upsetting messages to mum after being cyber-bullied

“What is most important for parents is to constantly monitor, to the best of their ability, computer and phone usage of their children and keeping lines of communication open throughout all the childhood and adolescent years,” he wrote in an op-ed for HerFamily.

Barnardos warns parents to look out for common signs of cyber-bullying, including your child being angry, upset or withdrawn or being secretive about their phone.

You can read more of the organisation’s guidelines here  or check out the advice on StopCyberBullying.ie.