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We use the UN's Sustainable Development Goals to help explain and guide our mission.

For over a decade, we’ve dedicated ourselves to meeting young people where they're at. Our ground-breaking research, educational initiatives, and campaigns help elevate their voices, raise awareness of the issues they face and allow us to support them in the way they need. We know that young people are almost entirely oriented around seeking advice online when they most need help; so we provide digital safe spaces and direct, non-judgemental support in a matter of clicks. In the time it takes you to read this, at least 2 young people will have benefited from Ditch the Label support.

Here to help young people aged 12-25 navigate the issues affecting them most. From bullying and mental health, to relationships, identity, and even the tough stuff in-between. We can help. 

After 10 years of ignoring it and telling the teachers, Liam Hackett, alone in his bedroom, took to the Internet to post about his experiences of being bullied. He talked about the extreme verbal and physical bullying he had experienced and how he was recently hospitalised after being attacked by a group of people from school. Overnight, hundreds of people came together, united by their experiences.

Over time, Liam started to find his voice and confidence and stood for what he believed in: a society that was fair, equal and free from all types of bullying. A community continued to grow as thousands of people came together, united by their experiences. The movement became so large, Liam launched a specific MySpace profile to host the conversations and named it ‘Ditch the Label’. Above: Founder and CEO, Liam Hackett

Liam recognised the potential of Ditch the Label and approached the local Chamber of Commerce. Now aged 16, he became the first person below the age of 18 to receive a grant in his local area to develop a Ditch the Label website. The first website had a forum and basic functionality.

Behind the scenes, Ditch the Label continued to grow in momentum as Liam studied at University. In 2012, he graduated with a degree in business and management and immediately registered Ditch the Label as a legal entity and began to grow Ditch the Label into the organisation that it is now.

Ditch the Label officially partnered with Habbo, the world’s largest online teen community and started to provide pioneering digital support in-game, benefiting thousands of young people. This year also saw the launch of ‘The Cyberbullying Survey’, which was internationally recognised as a benchmark study into cyberbullying rates and behaviours.

Income requirements had always disqualified Ditch the Label from becoming a recognised charity. Gaining charity status was required in order to attract funding. After 2 years of trying, in March 2014, Ditch the Label was officially registered as a charity in the UK.

“You are never alone. Things like the Internet are powerful ways to connect. Regardless of whatever you’re going through, somebody out there has been there before.”

– Liam speaking at Wembley Arena 2016

In partnership with various online communities such as Habbo and The Student Rooms, and through the official Ditch the Label website, it is estimated that over 180,000 young people, primarily in the UK benefited from support.

After a hugely successful year in 2015, Ditch the Label announced plans to expand across the USA and Mexico, aiming to support a record amount of 500,000 young people through bullying. This year also saw the launch of The Annual Bullying Survey 2016 in the Houses of Parliament, along with the fifth and most comprehensive Ditch the Label website.

Ditch the Label leads the way when it comes to digital innovation as a tool to resolve the issue of bullying. Throughout the first part of 2017, Ditch the Label launched globally in the USA. Additionally launching new intelligent search tools and algorithms, along with an online support community and instant messenger to connect those in need of advice and support with fully trained mentors, all via the Ditch the Label website.

Lying on social media is a big problem. We’re all constantly comparing ourselves and benchmarking against the lives we see on social media and Ditch the Label wanted to help. Partnering with boohoo, Ditch the Label produced the infamous ‘Insta Lie’ video which became an overnight success, with over 40 million views within the first 4 months and a total of 65 million after 18 months.

For the first time ever, Ditch the Label supported 2-million people globally throughout 2018! Yes, the cake was real and it was v. v. v. nice.

Ditch the Label Education (DTL:ED) aims to combat bullying by tackling its root issues in a classroom setting. By providing teaching resources which deal with everything from gender stereotypes, digital literacy & mental health, we are revolutionising the way in which schools tackle bullying, empowering young people and teachers to address complex subject matters with ease.

Another annual record smashed, with over 3.4 million young people benefiting from Ditch the Label resources in 2019!

It is announced that Ditch the Label has expanded to become a youth organisation – helping people overcome the issues affecting them the most, beyond just bullying. The wider focus now includes bullying, mental wellbeing, relationships and identity.

With the COVID-19 pandemic changing every single person’s life in 2020, we launched a number of pieces of advice to support young people struggling with the sudden switch into lockdown, loneliness and their mental health.

We looked at 263 million online conversations around hate speech online to see how it has changed since the start of the pandemic. In our research, we saw a devastating surge in internet-based hate speech in this time period.

Young people are turning to the internet to try and find the answers – we created a safe and confidential environment called the Internet’s Safe Space where any young person can turn to for advice and support.

Ditch the Label furthers its mission to use technology for good with the launch of DTL 3.0 - innovating how we provide online support by pioneering the use of AI, crypto, and more in the Web3 space. With the support of BRP we are excited to announce our expansion into Mexico with the launch of our LatinX master brand Quítate las Etiquetas. By launching a fully functional version of Ditch the Label 3.0 in the Spanish language, we aim to extend our support and resources to empower more young people against bullying and discrimination.

Millions of conversations, thousands of surveys, all to figure out the issues that impact young people the most.

Our digital safe spaces, direct support and growing library of self-help toolkits, provide personalised advice in only a few clicks.



Our insights into the lived experiences of young people and the big data helps us to produce free curriculums for students across the globe.

We’ve got award-winning public awareness and edutainment campaigns, all to bring light to the issues affecting them most.

We’ve got it all covered! All of our interventions are based on a foundation of research, psychology and input from young people and experts.

As a small, independent charity with a huge reach, we've learned how to make a little go a long way. Whether it's a one-off or a regular donation, we're proud that 87% of all donations go directly into funding impact and support.

Ready to run? Wax your legs? Maybe host a party? Whatever it is, you can do it for Ditch the Label and the young people we support.

If you've got a skill and some time that you think would benefit Ditch the Label, we'd love to hear from you. Head over to our Donate Skills page to tell us more.

Together we can make genuine impacts on our world and thousands of young people across the globe. We are always looking for more passionate people to join us.

Creatives, designers, psychologists, mentors, educators and innovators we are all here to follow one common goal: to improve the lives of young people all across the globe.

Ready to introduce yourself? Jump in and talk with our community of like minded people who are here to help you through the hard times.

How do we support millions of young people a year on issues such as bullying, relationships, mental health and their identity? Learn more about Ditch the Label.

Ditch The Label | About Us

aboutUs

So thanks for the great advice. I did come out to my dad and it went very well! He accepted me the way I am and since he is a priest it went better than I hoped it would go. He told me that it was completely okay and since he has prior experience with people who are lesbian or gay than he took it very well. I’m just happy that I could tell someone. You’ve helped me so much.

Jack

The support Ditch the Label has given to me has honestly been a beam of light that I needed whilst a thousand hands pulled me down into the darkness. Thank you.

JESS

Ditch the Label’s The Internet Safe Space is a amazing place for me to meet others just like me, talk through my issues and feel not so alone in the world. Thank you very much.

Paul

My daughter posted some concerning messages yesterday on your website and someone from your site got in touch with her school and let them know. Her guidance counsellor contacted me and we were able to get her to a crisis therapy centre first thing this morning. I had no idea she was feeling that way, and I praise you for intervening so she could get the help she needs. Her father and I are so very grateful. 

Nikita

This is less of an introduction and more of a thank you. I have had many troubling and confusing moments in my life, and this community made me not afraid to share what happened and what was worrying me and find help. It has helped me through so much, and I just want to thank everyone for this

Harrison

Growing up can be tough, but it’s important to remember that you are not alone. Countless others have been where you are right now. Check out their experiences below: