Isac Elliot ‘using his head’ against cyber bullying

(Fornebu, 21 January 2016) The Finnish artist Isac Elliot will fight cyber bullying in partnership with Norway’s biggest school tour against online bullying - Use Your Head. The teen idol has personally experienced being n the sharp end of nasty comments online. Now he is asking all his fans to ‘use their heads and hearts’ before they post.

‘I mostly receive nice comments, but what I remember the most is when someone says nasty things to me. . The people around me say I shouldn’t care about the negative stuff that gets written. But I WANT to care because I don't think cyber bullying is okay. It’s terrible to read about young people whose lives are destroyed by bullying and if I can influence anyone into reconsidering and being nicer online, then that's a good thing,’ says 15 year old Isac Elliot.

Each year, 13 per cent of children and young people between 9 and 16 years old experience that someone is unpleasant to them or bullies them via the Internet or social media, according to figures published by the Norwegian Media Authority. Telenor took the initiative in 2009 to combat cyber bullying by starting ‘Use Your Head’ in partnership with the Norwegian Red Cross and its Kors på halsen campaign, Kids and Media and the Norwegian Media Authority. Use Your Head is now Norway’s biggest anti-bullying school tour, and has so far met more than 200,000 children and young people.

Proud to support Use Your Head
‘I was at a big Use Your Head event at the Telenor Arena in October, where more than 7000 young people said no to cyber bullying. It was fun and meaningful! Now that I’m playing a gig at Oslo Spektrum on 19 February, I will also be asking all my fans to be nice to each other online,’ says Isac Elliot.

The Use Your Head campaign will be present at Oslo Spektrum to offer advice to children and young people who want information about how to join the fight against cyber bullying.

‘It means a lot that Isac Elliot has joined us in the fight against cyber bullying. He is a role model for many young people, which is why his call for everyone to “Use Your Head” really will make a difference. We must stand together and say no to bullying,’ says Berit Svendsen, CEO of Telenor Norway.

Draw a heart - win gig tickets
Telenor is now launching a competition to get young people to say no to cyber bullying and show that they want to use their heads and hearts when they are online. Draw the Use Your Head heart on your hand, take a selfie, use the hashtag #brukhue and share via Instagram. Five lucky winners will receive four tickets each to the Isac Elliot concert at Oslo Spektrum on 19 February.

‘One of the most important things young people can do if they want to help fight cyber bullying is to think before they post. You don’t know what others can withstand. That’s why we also have to use our hearts. We have to care about each other and say something if we see others posting unpleasant things or engaging in bullying. This will allow us to put an end to cyber bullying,’ says Berit Svendsen.

Facts
• Use Your Head is Norway’s biggest school tour against online bullying, and is run by Telenor together with the Norwegian Media Authority, Kids and Media, and the Norwegian Red Cross through its Kors på halsen [Cross My Heart] campaign.
• Since 2009, Use Your Head has visited more than 700 schools and spoken about cyber bullying and general online know-how to almost an entire generation of young people and their parents.