Education secretary backs TV anti-bullying campaign

More than 195,000 people have pledged to support the Be Kind campaign.

The ITV daytime programme This Morning launched the initiative two weeks ago, with parents and families of the victims. Presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby urged parents and schools to make a pledge to watch the video with their children, which highlights the devastating impact of bullying. It includes interviews with two mothers whose children took their own lives as a result of bullying.

In a video message posted on Twitter, the education secretary reminded people that everyone could contribute to help put an end to bullying. ‘No child should have to face being bullied. It’s hurtful, and it can have devastating consequences. There’s no excuse for it,’ she said in her video message.

‘But one of the best ways to tackle bullying is for us all to talk about it – that’s why This Morning’s Be Kind campaign is so important. And we want to help make sure our children get an education that help them deal with the challenges that they face today, like cyber bullying.

‘But whether it’s inside or outside of schools, we can all make sure that the young people in our life know the importance of being kind to one another. So please make your pledge today.’

Interviewed on This Morning, Lucy Alexander said, ‘I desperately need to raise awareness, I desperately need for people to talk about this, to talk to their children.'

Lucy's son Felix was bullied from the age of ten. He committed suicide last year at the age of 17 after being subjected to a torrent of abuse on social media for years.

‘He decided to do this because he couldn’t see a way to be happy,’ his mother explains in an emotional letter that she reads out in the campaign’s video.

‘People who had never even met Felix were abusing him over social media, and he found that he was unable to make and keep friends, as it is difficult to befriend the most hated boy in the school.’

‘It’s really simple: just be kind,’ Ms Alexander said in the clip. ‘Be that one person in the group chat who says, “Hold on, that’s not right, you can’t say that!” Turn the tide of the conversation.’