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Introduction to Online Safety and Scary Content

In today's digital landscape, encountering unwanted or unsettling content online is unfortunately not uncommon, especially for teenagers who are active on various social media platforms and internet forums. Whether it's graphic images, violent videos, or scary stories, such material can pop up unexpectedly and leave you feeling anxious, frightened, or disturbed.

Understanding how to navigate these experiences and communicate them effectively is crucial in maintaining your mental well-being and ensuring a safe online environment. It's important to remember you're not alone in dealing with this; many young people come across similar challenges.

How Online Content Affects Teenagers

As a teenager, your brain is still developing, and encounters with disturbing content can have profound emotional and psychological impacts. You might find yourself feeling more anxious, experiencing nightmares, or even becoming fearful of certain situations that remind you of what you saw online. These reactions are not only normal but are valid responses to traumatic content.

It's also crucial to recognise the impact of such experiences on your real-life activities. You might become hesitant to explore new content online or increasingly worried about encountering more disturbing material. This can lead to a reluctance in participating in online communities, affecting your social interactions and learning experiences on the internet.

Strategies for Dealing with Scary Online Content

If you've encountered disturbing content online, there are several strategies that you can employ to cope with the aftereffects and prevent future occurrences:

Talk About It

Communicating what you've experienced is perhaps the most crucial step. If you're unsure about how to convey this to someone else, consider using these pointers:

• Choose someone you trust: This could be a parent, older sibling, teacher, or school counsellor. It's important that you feel safe and comfortable in being open about your experiences.
• Be honest about your feelings: Don't downplay what you're feeling. Being honest about your emotions will help others understand your distress and provide appropriate support.
• Describe the situation: Explain where you were online, what you encountered, and why it was upsetting. This can be crucial for adults to understand the context and potentially take steps to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

Limit Exposure

After experiencing something disturbing, it's wise to take a step back from similar online environments:

• Adjust content controls: Use filters and parental controls to help screen out potentially harmful content. Most social platforms offer settings that allow you to control what you see.
• Take a break: Sometimes, the best solution is to take a short break from online activities, especially those that are triggering.

Engage in Positive Activities

Counteract the negative experience by engaging in activities that you enjoy and find uplifting:

• Physical activities: Exercise can help alleviate some of the stress and anxiety that might build up after such experiences.
• Creative outlets: Dive into a hobby like drawing, writing, or playing an instrument to distract your mind and channel your emotions productively.

Seek Professional Advice

If you find the emotions caused by the distressing content to be overwhelming, consider seeking professional guidance. Counsellors and therapists can provide strategies to cope with anxiety and stress effectively. If needed, they can also help mediate a conversation between you and your parents or guardians about online safety.

Preventing Future Incidences

To minimise the chances of encountering such content again, follow these steps:

• Be cautious with new websites and platforms: Stick to well-known, reputable sites where content is regularly monitored and moderated.
• Use reporting tools: If you encounter harmful content, report it. This not only helps protect you but also assists others who may be vulnerable to such content.
• Enhance digital literacy: Understanding more about how the internet works, including the risks associated with online browsing, can empower you to navigate safely.

Conclusion

Encountering scary content online can be a challenging experience, but by talking about it, employing coping strategies, and taking proactive measures, you can safeguard your mental health and enhance your online experiences. Remember, communication is key, whether it's with trusted adults or professional helpers, and you have tools at your disposal to manage and mitigate such incidents effectively.

How are you feeling?

It is really important that when we need help, we feel able to ask for it. This could be speaking to a parent, a close friend, a teacher or someone else you trust. Sometimes it can be really hard to share our feelings with other people but if we are feeling low or don't know where to turn, sharing with others is really important. Teachers will always take you seriously and listen to your problems in confidence if you approach them for help. Likewise, parents, siblings or friends will help you if you reach out to them.

If you feel like you can't speak to anyone you know, there are people and organisations that can help support you:

• Childline - Call them on 0800 1111 any time of the day or night, every day of the week
• NSPCC - Call them on 0808 800 5000 between 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday or email them on help@NSPCC.org.uk
• The Samaritans – Call them on 116 123 any time of the day or night, every day of the week
• SANE – Call 0300 304 7000 for support (4:30pm - 10:30pm every day)
• Mind – Call 0300 123 3393 (9:00am - 6:00pm Monday to Friday)

*Sometimes we will use real life examples in our articles to aid understanding. When we do, names and ages will be changed.