YOUTH STORIES
Words That Hurt
A student shared a simple post online, never imagining it could become a source of harm — just a photo and a few words she thought her friends might like. Then her image started to spread. People reshared it without asking her, adding mocking captions and cruel jokes. What had started as a harmless piece of content turned into a wave of cyberbullying she had never expected.
She felt ashamed and afraid, pulled away from friends, and stopped participating in class. School and the internet — once places of learning and connection — became daily sources of stress and anxiety.
This is an excerpt from the SAFE CHANGES storytelling booklet — the full story continues in the published 128-page collection.