Highlights Of Cybersmile's Anti-Bullying Week Banter Or Bullying? Campaign with Instagram

Our hope was that the Banter or Bullying? campaign would enable Cybersmile to learn more about the relationship between banter and bullying, and spark meaningful conversation among young people around the use and misuse of banter. If you are affected by anything touched on within this article, follow the links to our various support services or click on the blue logo icon at the bottom right of the screen to start using Cybersmile Assistant, our smart AI support assistant.

For Anti-Bullying Week 2019, we worked alongside Instagram to explore the fine line between banter and bullying. The Banter or Bullying? campaign ran 11-15th November, and encouraged young people to have important conversations about the use of banter, look more closely at their own use of banter, and to be mindful of when it has the potential to cross the line.

There was so much activity around the campaign it would be WAY too much to collate into one article, but don’t worry if you missed the campaign activities the first time around. We have compiled some highlights from the campaign for you below so you don’t miss out on the action:

Banter or Bullying? report published

To celebrate the launch of the campaign, Cybersmile published the Banter or Bullying? report. The report is based on new research undertaken by Cybersmile which asked over 3000 respondents aged 13-18 to share their views and perspectives relating to the use of banter among young people in the U.K. You can download the full report here.

Exclusive interview with Mo Gilligan

Popular stand-up comedian Mo Gilligan participated in the Banter or Bullying? campaign by releasing an exclusive video Q&A on IGTV. His video segment received over 70,000 views in just 24 hours and hundreds of supporting comments from his community. You can watch Mo’s video by clicking on the video above.

Educational assets

To ensure that the campaign successfully delivered important online safety related messages, we developed a number of educational tips that were shared on Cybersmile’s social media channels. The educational assets helped users understand the safety and security features that are available to them on Instagram, allowing them to protect their account, moderate comments and keep their time on the platform safe and positive.

Chessie King Q&A

We were fortunate to have the support of popular body confidence influencer Chessie King for the Banter or Bullying? campaign. Chessie participated in an exclusive video Q&A to talk more in-depth about her personal experiences with social media and how she deals with the feedback from her community.

Zoe Sugg talks to Cosmopolitan

Zoe Sugg, founder of Zoella also participated in the Banter or Bullying? campaign, sharing her own thoughts and experiences with Cosmopolitan. Zoe talked about the difference between banter and bullying, as well as opening up about how she deals with negative comments online:

“I try to ignore negative comments altogether, but when I do respond, I’m often told they’re ‘just banter’ and that I should let it go. Banter is never an excuse for bullying; they are different things, one should make you laugh, the other does the opposite.”

Thought leadership

As part of the Banter or Bullying? campaign, Cybersmile co-founder Dan Raisbeck wrote an opinion piece for the Telegraph, shining a light on the use and misuse of banter and highlighting the need for more meaningful conversation around the use of banter. You can read the piece here.

Cybersmile Interview with Instagram’s Kira Wong O’Connor

We were very fortunate to be able to catch up with Instagram’s Kira Wong O’Connor and discuss the Banter or Bullying? campaign, Instagram’s commitment to help people feel safe in sharing their authentic selves, and the all important topic of kindness! You can read the full interview with Kira here.

On the ground

View this post on Instagram

For Anti-Bullying Week, @Instagram has teamed up with @cybersmilefoundation to explore when banter becomes bullying. Research shows 51% of UK teenagers think calling something ‘banter’ is sometimes used as an excuse for bullying and two-thirds do not feel they understand the difference between the two. So we took to the streets to ask people where they draw the line between banter and bullying? What are your thoughts? Comment below! #AntiBullyingWeek

A post shared by Dose of Society (@doseofsociety) on Nov 13, 2019 at 4:54am PST

As part of the important conversation sparked by the Banter or Bullying? campaign, people on the streets of the U.K. had the chance to share their perspectives on the relationship between banter and bullying.

Additional Anti-Bullying Week Activities

During Anti-Bullying Week in the U.K., Cybersmile also worked alongside Rimmel London to promote our joint #IWillNotBeDeleted campaign PSA which has now achieved over 700,000 views! We are also extremely grateful for the ongoing support of Claire’s who extended their Bullying Prevention Month fundraising efforts for Cybersmile in the U.S. by fundraising for Cybersmile in their U.K. stores for Anti-Bullying Week. Claire’s amazing support has enabled Cybersmile to help over 43,000 young and vulnerable internet users so far!

Thank you

We want to say a huge thank you to everybody that made the Banter or Bullying? campaign and Anti-Bullying Week 2019 such a success, including Instagram, Chessie King, Zoe Sugg, Mo Gilligan, Blush, Claire’s, Rimmel London, Ingenuity London and everybody else who supported, shared or engaged with the campaign.

If you are affected by any kind of online negativity, we can help you. Visit our Cyberbullying Help Center or click on the blue logo icon at the bottom right of the screen to open Cybersmile Assistant, our smart AI support assistant. For further information about Cybersmile and the work we do, please explore the following suggestions:

What do you think about the fine line between banter and bullying? Share your thoughts by contacting us or tweet us @CybersmileHQ.