I was the victim of a hate site
Thursday 6 April 2006
Imagine discovering that someone you hardly know had set up a 'hate site': a web site that was dedicated to disliking and slating you.
It sounds far-fetched that anyone would go to such lengths, but for n2k reader Lauren, it was a grim reality.
Here she tells her story and we give you our tips on what to do if it happens to you.
Lauren's story
I first realised something was going on when I caught people I hardly even knew sniggering at me in the school corridor. It hadn't been a good year for me: I'd put on weight unexpectedly and I had broken up with my boyfriend so was feeling really low.
Teasing
I had never been bullied at school and had a small group of friends, so I was surprised when people I'd never met before started saying weird stuff like "How's Miss Smith?". Miss Smith was the name of our PE teacher and also my personal tutor so I'd been talking to her about my problems, but I didn't know why there were saying that.
Secret hate blog
The giggles and teasing lasted for a while longer and then all of a sudden at a sleepover my friend said she couldn't take it any more and showed me what was going on on her computer. Some girls in the year below me who I hardly knew had started up a fake blog in my name and had done false entries in my name.
Comments
There were doctored photos of me that they'd got from one of my online profiles and it said that my boyfriend had ditched me because I was having a lesbian affair with my teacher. I was so angry and upset I could hardly speak. There were loads of comments from other people at school too and it seemed like everyone was in on it.
Caught
I couldn't let it go on any longer so I went to my teacher straight away when I was back at school. The girls denied it at first but eventually admitted it when the local police were involved. I felt abused and as if everyone had been laughing at me.
The stupid thing was is that it was so pointless; they'd started the site because one of them thought that I'd kissed one of their boyfriends, but I didn't even know him!
About hate sites
There have been reported cases of young people setting up 'hate sites', which are web sites devoted to giving a person or group of people in particular a hard time.
The bullies behind sites use pictures and made-up stories about the victim. The address is then circulated to lots of people to try and humiliate the victim.
What to do if it's happening to you
You need to tell someone straight away. Bullying, in any form, is wrong and nobody deserves to be on the receiving end. The people doing this need to be stopped as soon as possible.
Talk to someone you trust and decide what to do next. You could tell your teacher or go straight to the police. You should make sure that your parents or carers are fully aware of what's going on, too.
Don't be afraid of what will happen if you 'grass'; the chances are that the people who are doing the bullying have got a problem of their own that they need help with.
Keeping yourself safe online
There's more opportunity than ever to have your own web site. If you do have your own online space, try not to give too much information about yourself, so that potential bullies can't manipulate photos or comments you've made on your own space.
If you've got a blog, think about making it password-protected if you want to have lots of personal info online.
Take a look at our related links for more help and information.
