Like an offline friend, a good online friend might be:
- respectful
- caring
- a good listener
- trustworthy
- fun
- honest
- thoughtful
- reliable
But nobody can be all of those things, all the time! Nobody is perfect and it’s completely natural to make mistakes or have disagreements.
Mistakes don’t have to be the end of a friendship though. There’s a really simple thing which you can do to help make the situation right.
Say sorry!
Saying sorry is a great place to start when trying to fix a friendship. It helps your friend to understand that you didn’t mean to upset them and it’s a way of letting them know that you want to make things right.
Remember that actions can speak louder than words so as well as saying sorry think about what you can do to make things better.
Top Tips
- Shared something you shouldn’t have? Take it down as quickly as possible. If you’re not sure how to, then speak to an adult for help and advice.
- Left someone out online? Find a way to include them – add them to the game or group if you can, and start a new one if you need to.
- Said something mean? Show that you value your friendship by saying or doing something kind instead.
- Not sure what’s wrong? Talk to your friend in person to show them you care and want to fix the problem. Only know your friend online? Speak to an adult you trust.
As part of our work in the UK Safer Internet Centre