What information do we collect from you?
We collect information about you when you first register on the website. We also collect information via feedback forms: like when you have had a mentoring session or enter a competition. Website usage information is collected via cookies. There is an explanation of what a ‘cookie’ is at the bottom of this page.
Do I have to answer these questions?
To register and use the service, we ask that you answer basic questions about your name, address, email address, gender, date of birth and a few questions about your background. Only your username is visible on your profile – the rest is kept private.
Later, but only if you choose to, you can tell us more about yourself by filling in ‘Additional info’ and ‘My Interests’. Most of the ‘Additional info’ is hidden, we only show what country, region and town you live in, if you decide to fill in this section. The ‘My Interests’ section is public information that you might like to share with other young people: what magazines you like, what hobbies you have, that sort of thing. You must be careful never to write anything here that could identify you.
How will we use this information about you?
BeatBullying does lots of research into bullying and its effects. We use the BeatBullying website to ask you questions so that we can better understand how bullying has affected you and work out ways of helping and supporting you. For instance, we ask you your postcode to help us to build up a ‘map’ of where young people are being bullied. As another example, we ask about your gender because we are trying to understand if girls and boys have different experiences of bullying.
Your information is not shared with other organisations, unless BeatBullying believes that you are in danger. Please read the next section: ‘When BeatBullying will share your personal information with other organisations’.
When BeatBullying will share your personal information with other organisations
Your safety and wellbeing, both offline and online, is extremely important to us. If you tell a mentor or a counsellor something that makes us worried about you, or we suspect you are unsafe, we may share this information with either your parents/carers, school, local responsible agency or the police.
For example, if you tell us that you are not being looked after properly or you’re experiencing sexual, emotional or physical abuse, our Safeguarding team will discuss this and decide whether or not to share the information about you with either your parents/carers, school, local responsible agency or the police. We call this Safeguarding.
BeatBullying counsellors may make notes about the things you tell us. If we do pass on your information to your local responsible agency or the police, we may include details of what you said to us: this is called a ‘transcript’.
Getting copies of the information we hold about you
You have the right to see the information we keep about you. If you would like a copy of your personal information, please email hello@beatbullying.org. You can also ask us to update or remove information if you like. We keep personal information on record for six years.
Cookies
A cookie is a little bit of code that can do things like track the time you spend on a website or make sure your username and password match up when you sign in. Most browsers nowadays allow you to choose whether or not to accept cookies, which is great. But please remember if you don’t allow cookies on the BeatBullying website, some things might not work properly. For example, you wouldn’t be able to log in properly.