I was accused of faking my struggle with mental health
Young Offenders actress Jennifer Barry f ights back after suffering abuse online
YOUNG Offenders star Jennifer Barry knows all about trolls – and has learned the hard way that the best response is to block them.
The 19 year old has been open online about her struggles with mental health, and this week marked the two-year anniversary of her feeling suicidal with an emotional Instagram post showing a much happier self who is glad she stuck around.
But her renewed confidence in herself does not mean she is immune to the slings and arrows of the online mob. ‘There were times when my hands would be physically shaking reading comments on my phone,’ Jennifer admits.
‘Sometimes I dread going online because I don’t know what I’m going to find, especially after a new episode of the show airs. The first time I experienced online abuse was when the Young Offenders first came out. People were in my DMs [direct messages] straight away. I would receive maybe 20 or 30 messages every single day and it would be people commenting on how I was doing, both good and bad.
‘I remember the first negative experience ever was when someone messaged me saying, “You were s*** and you’ve made the TV series s***.” I wouldn’t be a very confident person, I would have a lot of self-doubt when it comes to my acting and stuff so that really hurt me.’
Already struggling with her mental health behind the scenes, Jennifer says that particular comment in 2018 ‘massively amplified’ how she was feeling in her skin.
‘It made me think, “Yeah, I’m no good, they’re right”.’
Even when she found the courage to open up about her struggles, Jennifer, who hails from Cork, was met with criticism and some people accused her of lying ‘for attention’.
‘You have to learn how to grow a thick skin,’ adds Jennifer, who was speaking as part of Plan International Ireland’s #FreeToBeOnline campaign which is calling on the Government and social media companies to implement better anti-troll policies.
‘Comments like that, you remember forever… While it can be deleted, there’s something about the digital footprint that also leaves an imprint on our own minds. ’
A survey carried out by Plan International Ireland highlights how 67% of women in Ireland experience online abuse or harassment. ‘I use the block and report buttons all the time,’ Jennifer enthuses. ‘I’m a great woman for blocking on Instagram. I’ve no problem removing people because we have that power and we should be using it to our advantage. We can’t let the bullies continue.’
‘You have to learn how to grow thick skin’