Facebook: We have a responsibility to help people when they are bullied online
- Published
Prince William has launched an online taskforce with the likes of Facebook and Snapchat to try to combat cyber-bullying.
They are partnering with Childline in a trial which will direct people who are being bullied toward counselling.
"Social media platforms have a duty of care over their users," says Chloe, who tried to take her own life aged 13 when she was being bullied online.
She was at the launch of the initiative at Google's UK headquarters in London.
Chloe is part of the "stop, speak, support" campaign
"[Social media] was invented to connect friends, and now it's something that people are scared of," adds Chloe, who's now 18.
"When something is reported, there's no immediate action taken."
But Facebook recognises it has a role to play in beating cyber-bullying.
"We feel that we've got a huge responsibility to help people when things go wrong," says Simon Milner, Facebook's UK policy director.
"Your problem might not just be about being bullied on Facebook - it might be wider and you might need a lot more detailed help," he says.
That's why they've now started a trial, which will run until March.
Users who report bullying to Facebook will see an option to contact Childline and get direct help, separate from Facebook.
It's part of a wider code of conduct promoted by Prince William to "stop, speak, support" when you come across cyber-bullying.
Companies involved include Google, Twitter, EE and Vodafone.
At the moment, Facebook and Snapchat are the only two companies taking part in the trial with Childline.
For more information on online bullying, go to ´óÏó´«Ã½ Advice.
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