Online abuse affecting girls in Lancashire 'more than ever'

Charities in and around Lancashire are warning young girls are facing more trolling and online abuse than ever before.

It's as Love Island returns tonight - following a series of tragedies linked to the trolling of contestants and presenter Caroline Flack.

It's prompted the show to put out a warning for viewers to 'think before you post'.

But it's not just high profile stars who are being exposed to abuse - with growing numbers of teenagers reaching out for help.

Charity Girls Out Loud works with teenagers across the county - and says trolling and online abuse is affecting young girls more so than ever before.

Founder Jane Kenyon says, “Trolling is a spineless act carried out by people hiding behind anonymous accounts most of the time. The intention is to provoke a reaction so the very best way to counter this is to ignore them. There is no better response than no response.”

She's giving the following advice:

• Think before you post

• Don’t share your life with strangers

• Never be persuaded to post semi or nude pics - they stay online forever and they get shared with the world

• Block and report THE PERSON who asked you to do this

• Don’t share your vulnerabilities on open platforms. Stay private

• Never meet anyone offline, if you are not 100% sure of their real identity

• Be kind, being mean online to anyone is a cowardly action

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