A WREXHAM teen has set up an online space to promote positivity.

Macy Williams, from Acton, has told the Leader about her hopes to get more people to be kinder online through her dedicated platform.

The 15-year-old opened up about her own personal experiences with bullying and said that she wanted to make change and not let the bullies win.

She said: “I saw a lot of people my age struggling with this on my own social media and I wanted to do something to help them.”

“I hope that by putting more positivity out there, people can begin to start educating themselves towards other people’s feelings and emotions.”

Macy believes that it is a basic thing for people to treat others with kindness and respect – but unfortunately a minority of people seem to think bullying is acceptable.

A recent ONS study found that around one in five children aged 10 to 15 years in England and Wales (19 per cent) experienced at least one type of online bullying behaviour.

Sophie Sanders, from the Office for National Statistics Centre for Crime and Justice, said: “Greater use of smartphones, social media and networking applications means online bullying can follow a child anywhere they go.

“Using new data from the crime survey we can see that around one in five children between the ages of 10 to 15 had experienced some form of online bullying in the previous 12 months.

“Whilst this data was collected before the coronavirus pandemic, children’s isolation at home and increased time spent on the internet is likely to have had a substantial impact on the split between real world and cyber bullying."

The Rhosnesni High pupil said that she hopes by creating the platform it will allow people a safe space to escape online abuse and give them empowerment to come together and feel accepted.

In an effort to make a difference, she has also set up a number of fundraisers as part of her campaign for charities close to her heart - including Cancer Research, Young Lives Vs Cancer, CLIC SARGENT and the Samaritans.

She added: “The fundraising is just one way I hope to put a bit of hope and positivity out there.”

In the future, Macy says she wants to create a petition for a change in the law protecting people’s mental health on social media from nasty comments by banning or blocking virtual bullies from these platforms.

You can support Macy by following her page on Facebook – ‘change by M_W’.