While the world is slowly falling apart because of COVID-19 and everyone is fighting to survive, social media has allowed bullying to be taken to the next level;e kids are being targeted and students’ mental health is at risk. Instance, it started with TikTok and Instagram comments bringing people down; now it’s nonconsensual photos taken and being blasted all over the internet for people to laugh at, making the students that were “exposed” feel uncomfortable at school.
With people making Instagram accounts like Mhscaught_sleeping, Mhsbathroom flicks, etc., to post embarrassing events, like bathroom pictures, students sleeping, and even people eating food, the accounts quickly devolved from a comedy into an unhealthy situation where people feel embarrassed. There are also multitudes of accounts that post confessions about other students to expose people or even talk about them submitted by students. However, these accounts ask for no proof regarding student claims, giving many students bad reputations based on rumors alone. Though some people find it shocking or amusing to read “confessions,” the people being attacked can become socially ostracized based on lies. The comments can cause them to not want to be at school anymore because they feel like everyone is attacking them. With a law” Privacy law” stating that taking photos of others and posting them without their consent is illegal, you would think that people would think about how others’ mental health is being affected and not risk debilitating their mental health for a sick sort of entertainment. The owners of the accounts should at least ask for the permission of those being photographed and published.
Overall, there’s nothing wrong with making meme pages or pages that benefit the school through comedic relief, but the pages that end up affecting others negatively should not be made because they spread negative rumors and damage students’ self-esteem. By standing idly by as students relentlessly bully each other online, the school is complicit and condones such action. Just slow down with the pages and learn how to ask before doing something that involves someone else’s picture or their reputation and the school should take action by making a rule not to take any photos unless it is signed off.