If someone flips between being ‘very nice’ and ‘very nasty’, you can feel like you need to do things to keep them happy. This can be a sign they are trying to control you.
If someone gives you gifts like ‘phone credit, alcohol, drugs or jewellery, this can make you feel good about them, but if they want sex in return they are trying to exploit you.
If someone is trying to sexually exploit you, they may try to isolate you from your friends or family by saying they are the only person you need, that your family won’t understand or you’ll be in trouble.
People who exploit young people for sex want them to think they are a friend, or a boyfriend or girlfriend, to gain their trust to get power over them. They might use bribes, threats, humiliation and violence to get this power.
If your talk is negative, stop. If your talk is hurtful to another, stop. Change the topic. Gossiping only brings negativity into your life.
If you have been gossiped about, keep your head up and stay focused only on the things that truly matter. People will soon forget what they heard as there will always be a new topic of discussion.
An online groomer might keep messaging you through different ways, ask you to keep it a secret, ask you if you trust them, and ask who else uses your computer (to find out if they could get caught).
Someone online might pretend to be like you and have the same interests or problems as you. They could just be doing this to get you to trust them, so later on they can get you to do what they want.
Tell people who gossip to you that you’re not interested in what they have to say to you about others if it’s negative.
If someone is quick to tell you things about other people, they will be just as quick to talk about you to others. The same people that gossip to you, will gossip about you.