CHILDREN and young people have been urged to 'Choose Respect' over bullying to mark Anti-Bullying Week.

The national event runs until Friday, and included consultation by the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) with more than 800 children, teachers and members of the ABA.

As part of Anti-Bullying Week, schools are helping children and young people, school staff, parents and other professionals who work with children to understand the definition of respect, that bullying is a behaviour choice, that people can respectfully disagree with each other and that respect should be shown both face to face and online.

North Yorkshire Police are supporting the campaign by sharing tips and advice on social media using the hashtags #ChooseRespect and #AntiBullyingWeek about how to stay safe online including what to do if you are being bullied and advice for parents and guardians.

Detective Superintendent Allan Harder, head of safeguarding at North Yorkshire Police, said: "Cyberbullying and online harassment can be extremely distressing. Victims may experience low self-esteem, withdrawal from family and spending a lot of time alone, reluctance to let parents or other family members anywhere near their mobiles, laptops and finding excuses to stay away from school or work.

"If you believe that you are the victim of bullying or if someone is pressurising you to do things online such as sending a sexual text, image or video it can be hard to talk about but you should not deal with it alone. Try and talk to a trusted adult such as a parent, family member, carer or teacher or a friend or contact a support organisation such as NSPCC or Bullying UK for confidential help and advice."

To report a crime if it’s not an immediate emergency, phone 101. In an emergency always phone 999.

Support is also available at nspcc.org.uk, bullying.co.uk, kidscape.org and Childline on 0800 1111 or at childline.org.uk