Video Transcription

But of course, there are sometimes people who try to ruin the vibe. So what is stopping you from just quitting and logging off for good?

Let’s face it — it’s been a hot minute since I was a teenager, and a lot of things have changed since then. But one thing that hasn’t changed is that bullying is absolutely everywhere. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the schoolyard, online, or in real life — it’s still prevalent.

Welcome to How Do You Mean, brought to you by Kids Helpline and Instagram. We’re going to be talking to your favourite creators about their experiences with bullying. I’m Ben, and let’s go.

You’re just looking around… found one.
“Hello Brock.”
“Ben, please, please, please — can I sit with you?”
“Absolutely.”

Have you ever been bullied?
“Plenty of times. Every time I open my phone there’s something crazy in there that I don’t want to see — but I unfortunately see.”

That’s really awful. How does that make you feel?
“It’s never a great feeling to see someone hating on you for being yourself. But I’ve found humour in it, because they’re coming into my space and infiltrating my community online when they don’t need to be there.”

You can’t stop everyone from being negative. What tools help you deal with that?
“I always go straight for the report tool. If someone is in my business when they don’t need to be — instant report. I love that. It’s empowering to know you’ve taken action.”

What’s best for your mental health?
“I find people who want to be around me for me. If they don’t, that’s not my business and not my problem.”

That’s so powerful. Thank you so much — I’ll let you get back to it. See you later.

Today we’re trying iced matcha lattes I’ve never tried before. We’ve got a strawberry iced matcha… and I know I’m being sneaky.

Do you have a minute to talk to me about bullying?
“Of course.”

I can’t imagine food review videos getting negative comments.
“You’d be so surprised. I get so much judgement just for being myself online. It doesn’t matter if you’re on Instagram or in the schoolyard — people are going to judge you.”

How do you cope with that?
“I love using Instagram’s Quiet Mode. It lets people know I’m taking a moment for myself. I also love going on picnics and walks with my family. We absolutely love food — it’s such a great way to connect.”

The food reviewer likes food — stop it, get out of here.
“It’s true!”

Thanks so much for the chat — I’m taking one of these for the road.
“Go for it.”

“Hello there!”
“Hi!”
“I’m going to come join.”
“Yeah, sure.”

We’re on live — hello, hello. Do you find the people watching your lives are supportive?
“Yeah, they’re the most supportive community ever. Instagram has always been our safe space.”

But sometimes people try to ruin the vibe. How do you balance the good and the bad?
“When you’re online, you open yourself up to people from all walks of life. We try to focus on the good comments. If something is excessive or hard for the chat to read, we use the block button.”

And that stops them coming back?
“Yeah — we block all future accounts so they can’t just make a new one and return. They’re blocked for good.”

What stops you from quitting and logging off completely?
“Our community is at the core of why we come online. Logging off just doesn’t feel right. Our friends and family are there — we want to connect with them.”

Sometimes things get overwhelming. What do you do then?
“If things get hard, we pause notifications for a bit or use platform tools. But most of the time, we want to be online with our community.”

Thank you so much — I’ve learned so much from this chat. Go enjoy your game.

That was insightful. It turns out everyone faces some kind of mean behaviour at some point in their life. The good news is that Instagram has tools to help you deal with it.

Make sure you share these tools with someone you know who might be going through something similar. And remember, you can always check out Kids Helpline for support.

Bye for now. 💛