Group Chat Guidelines
Whether you're looking for help with a problem or just somewhere to hang out and talk to other young people, group chat is a safe and welcoming place to meet others, have a chat, and get support if you need it.
Here is the agreement you make with the group when you join:
Group chat is a friendly place – I will be welcoming, respectful and ready to listen. Over time I might make friends with other members but if we’re talking away from chat I agree to keep that separate and focus on the session I’m in.
Group chat is a safe place – I won’t come to the session if I’m having immediate thoughts of ending my life, and I’ll instead contact a more appropriate service such as The Mix’s Crisis Messenger or Samaritans. If I talk about self-harm, I’ll stick to discussing my feelings and avoid describing methods or other physical details.
Group chat is a diverse place – We’ve all had different experiences and sometimes we might disagree on something, and that’s OK. If I feel upset by something, I’ll self-moderate (take a break to calm down or use the mute function).
Group chat is a group environment – I’m prepared for a bit of give and take and I’ll help to include everyone. I’ll make sure I consider what I say and how it may impact others, and I won’t send too many messages at once.
Group chat is an anonymous place – I won’t repeat anything I hear in chat elsewhere and I won’t share personal contact details in the chat room.
Members that aren’t able to stick to this agreement may be frozen (timed out) or kicked from the session.
We allow plenty of freedom in chat and you can pretty much talk about anything at all that’s on your mind. It’s important to remember that group chat can't offer crisis support or professional medical advice and we have a few limitations around particular issues that we’d ask you to keep in mind:
Sex – Group chat is not a place to hook up or brag about your sexual encounters. Asking about bedroom antics, STIs or contraception is all okay.
Drugs – You’ll be warned off any chat about manufacturing, dealing or getting hold of drugs, but we welcome conversation about the effects and impact of taking substances.
Self-harm – Members will be happy to listen to your feelings and offer support to help with your self-harm. However, please avoid any graphic detail or description of methods (such as where or how you've harmed yourself). Instead, we encourage you to focus on feelings (e.g. "I feel like harming myself because..."). If you feel you're about to harm, we’d ask that you don’t come into chat so we can keep the group safe.
Eating issues - We promote healthy eating here but not obsessive dieting. It’s okay to respectfully tell people what you struggle with (e.g. “I struggle with binge-eating”), but please avoid sharing specifics about your weight, calorie counts or details of any behaviours (such as what or how much you've been eating or drinking). Instead we encourage you to focus on your feelings, using broad terms to describe things if you need to.
Suicidal feelings – You can share that you're generally struggling with suicidal thoughts, but the group can't support you if you're at breaking point. If you need crisis support, the moderator will suggest that you use more appropriate services such as Samaritans or Papyrus.
You will be automatically logged in as a guest on your first visit, but you can also create an account. If you have an account on the discussion boards, you might want to use the same name to help the community get to know you. Try and stick to the same username once you’ve picked one. It avoids confusion and helps you to settle in and build relationships with the group.
You're welcome to use a name that shows how you feel. If you choose a name like that, depending on what it is, a moderator may ask you to add a different name in brackets. This is just to make sure other members have something they're comfortable calling you by. In extreme cases, you may also be asked to change it completely (e.g. if it uses triggering language) but this is rare.
This varies but there can be up to 20 members. When chat is very busy it’s difficult for everyone to be heard and following conversations can be tough. You may need to be patient and to choose a quieter moment to ask the group for some help. Moderators will do their best to help everyone have a chance to talk if they need to.
All group chats are moderated by a mixture of paid staff and volunteer mods.
Their role is to oversee the group and to make sure that everyone is sticking to the guidelines so the chat remains a safe and welcoming space. Moderators are trained in offering emotional support, listening, signposting (sharing links to resources online) and managing the group. They are not expert advisers and cannot provide 1-2-1 support.
We ask that you avoid sharing any personal contact details in the chat room such as your email address, phone number or social media. It’s okay to share photos of yourself or your pets if you’re comfortable with that, but please don’t share photos of anybody else. Don’t forget that once you post something online, there's no way to stop somebody saving it.
Stepping into the role of a moderator when you're not one is generally not appreciated - it creates friction between community members and it makes the moderator's job more difficult. If you see something that needs mod input, it's okay to give supportive suggestions, but it usually doesn't go well when someone tries to diffuse an argument or enforce the guidelines when they're not a moderator.
The general rule is 'what's said in group chat stays in group chat'.
However, if we believe your life is at immediate risk, we may inform emergency services to make sure you're safe. The moderator will tell you if we decide to do this, and we will only do so if we're sure your life is at risk. This is extremely rare. You can read more about this in our confidentiality policy.
If you can't get into group chat, chances are you've landed here out of hours. The discussion boards are available 24/7. If you haven’t already registered then once you’re signed up you will be able to post and receive replies from the community. We also offer a free, confidential helpline webchat, email or text service if you need further advice.
Yes, group chat is mobile friendly.
