How to handle being bullied

We don't put up with bullying, period.

Below are some clear steps and our procedures for dealing with mobile and online bullying.

What is mobile/online bullying?

Any persistent texting, emailing, calling, picture messaging, or posting on digital devices that makes you feel threatened, offended, or harassed. Kiwi Mobile doesn't mess around with this sort of behavior, and we've got procedures to keep bullying off our network.

What steps can you take if you're being bullied or harassed?

The following are guidelines from NetSafe:

1. Don’t respond

  • Often the sender will get bored and stop sending contacting you if they don’t get a reply or reaction.
  • The agreed industry policy is that you need to have received four unreplied to, unwanted messages before we can take action. So, no matter how upsetting it may be, it’s super important not to write/call the person bullying you back.
  • You should never respond or interact with messages from numbers you're not familiar with
  • If you are receiving unwanted texts or calls, most mobile phones come with ways to block a number under settings.

2. Speak to someone you trust

  • Reaching out early on to a friend or family member is important. They'll be able to give you some advice.

3. Hold onto these unwelcome messages so you have a record to report them

  • It's essential for us to have this information to support you in getting this resolved.

4. Get in touch and let us know

  • If you've experienced four or more unanswered messages or calls within the last 7 days that you find unwanted, please reach out to us on live chat. We'll look into the matter and may take necessary steps to prevent harassment, including issuing warnings, barring, or even deactivating the user's account.
  • If the bullying is coming from another mobile network, we have an agreement with Vodafone, Spark and 2Degrees (who's network we use) to do what we can to stop it.

5. Important: Threatening messages

  • If you get a message that threatens harm to you, your family or your property, this is a criminal offence. You should report this immediately to your local Police station or online.

For further information and advice, visit www.netsafe.org.nz.

Students can find lots of anti-bullying resources at bullyingfree.nz.

I'm not a customer but I suspect a Kiwi Mobile customer is taking part in bullying or sending nuisance messages?

You'll need to get in touch with your provider to report bulling or nuisance messages. Your provider will flick us a message and we'll work with them to get it sorted.