“5 Things to Remember about Body Safety,” Friend, September 2025, 38–39.

5 Things to Remember about Body Safety

Your body is a gift from Heavenly Father. He wants to help you be safe and happy. If someone tries to harm you with words or actions, that’s not OK! We should be kind and respectful to others, and we should expect them to be kind and respectful to us too.

It is OK to say no, even to an adult. You are in charge of your body. That means you decide if someone can touch you, hug you, or kiss you. You can practice saying “No,” “Don’t touch me,” and “Leave me alone.” If you are being touched or asked to do something that makes you uncomfortable, it is OK to say no and to leave if you can.
Know which touches are safe or unsafe. A safe touch helps you feel loved (like a hug or high five) or stay clean and healthy (like a parent helping you take a bath or a doctor helping you when you’re sick). Sometimes a safe touch can hurt, like getting a shot, but it is safe because it is keeping you healthy. An unsafe touch hurts your body or feelings, like hitting, pushing, or touching someone’s private parts. These painful or uncomfortable touches are not OK.
There are parts of your body that are private where another person should not touch you. Private parts include the parts of your body covered by a swimming suit. It is not OK for others to touch your private parts (either under or over your clothes) or ask you to touch theirs. If this happens to you, talk to a trusted adult as soon as you can.
Remember the difference between secrets and surprises. A surprise is something happy that is fun for everyone, like a birthday present. A secret is when someone tells you not to tell anyone. If you are asked to keep a secret about someone touching or hurting you, you should tell someone you trust right away. Keep telling trusted adults until someone helps you become safe.
If someone touches you or hurts you, it is not your fault. A person who has hurt you may try to make you or others believe that you did something wrong, but you did not. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know and love you perfectly. Ask a trusted adult for help, and remember that you can always pray to Heavenly Father for help too.