After launching our #HelloToKindness campaign in January, we have been stunned and delighted to see the incredible, world-wide support we have received. With stars from David and Victoria Beckham, to Storm and Ronan Keating and Liam Payne offering their support, our social media hashtag has been gaining momentum globally. And now we are proud to announce that our kindness initiative has been tabled in Parliament.
An early day motion put forward by Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, requests the House of Commons to support HELLO! magazine's #HelloToKindness campaign and praises the campaign for supporting kindness in an effort to combat the growing problem of online abuse. Layla met with our Editor-in-Chief Rosie Nixon and said she is "fully behind" our campaign, adding: "A little kindness is needed everywhere right now."
The motion "congratulates the campaign for standing up to abuse that occurs on social media platforms in an attempt to promote a more positive, welcoming environment online, commends the campaign for garnering large public and celebrity support in calling for less abuse and more kindness online; and calls on the Government to work with social media companies, schools and civil society to further the aims of campaigns like #HelloToKindness".
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On Monday 28 January, we launched our campaign in response to some of the negative and mean comments we have seen on our social media feeds. These comments were aimed at the celebrities we were posting about or other social media users. We felt it was time, and for our readers too, to take a stand. It isn't acceptable to post racist, sexist or threatening abuse on social platforms and it's not acceptable to attack other users just because they disagree with you.
Andrea McLean hosts our #HelloToKindness panel:
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It is also not acceptable to constantly pit women against each other. We found that the majority of negative comments we received were aimed at the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex, and that these two royal women were often pitted against each other. Kensington Palace revealed to us exclusively that they spend hours each week moderating comments on their social media posts, as some users make violent threats towards the royals and target 'rival' fans.
It's not too late to support our campaign. Join our movement and say #HelloToKindness by sharing a kind message, video or caption on Instagram. Simply post your message, including the hashtag #HelloToKindness and tag @hellomag to spread the word. Plus, write to your local MP to encourage them to support the motion and sign it.
