Short messages on Relationships issues from Respect Yourself, the guidance site for young people to help make good decisions in life.
Masturbating will not affect a man’s ability to produce sperm, and he will not “run out” of it – he produces sperm continuously.
Once an explicit image is online it could tarnish your reputation for years to come and potential employers could view the images, long after you have left school.
Once an explicit image has been sent it is no longer in your control. The image may be sent to friends, and end up published on the internet, without your knowledge, for years to come.
You can face prosecution if you are over 10 years old and caught sexting if the person in the photo is under 18, as it is “distributing an indecent image of a child”.
Anyone under 18 “sexting” (texting sexually explicit pictures) could be committing an offence, despite 16 and 17-year-olds being legally old enough to have sex.
Getting revenge means that we’re stooping to the other person’s level where we lose ourselves and our values along the way. Instead, stay true to who you are.
Every time you feel yourself being pulled into someone else’s drama, remember: it’s someone else’s drama. You don’t need to take part.
When you are contacting someone, be patient for a response. Remember, they are leading their own life and will be thinking about their own things too. Don’t take it to heart if they’re busy!
Nobody has the right to abuse you. You may be made to feel responsible and guilty for the abuse, but the source of the problem is the abuser, not you.
The Domestic Violence and Relationship Abuse project supports children and young people age 4 -18 years in an abusive relationship or who have been affected by domestic violence in the home.