When bullying becomes content: how TikTok and Telegram romanticize bullying

In today's world, social media is becoming not only a source of information but also a platform for public harassment. More and more often, anonymous posts with insults and calls for physical violence can be found on Telegram channels. In some cases, children are the heroes of such content. A particular danger is that teenagers not only consume such content, but also contribute to its dissemination through the TikTok platform

She didn't know who to tell about it

The story behind this publication began with a post on a local Telegram channel. The heroine was a 12-year-old girl whose photo was accompanied by an insulting text accompanied by foul language. The post was public and accessible to several hundred readers-subscribers of the channel.

IMAGE: Screenshot of the post on the Telegram channel

This type of content was, of course, created without consent. The girl didn't even know the post existed until her friend sent it to her. In fear that other friends would see the post, she wrote to a special community bot that automatically sends a price list for three possible functions: find out who dropped the post, delete the post, or both.

IMAGE: Screenshot of a post in the Telegram channel

It is not known whether the post will be deleted after the money is sent.

Since she had no money, the girl decided to ignore the situation, and the next morning she saw on her own that a second post with her photo had already been posted. Only then did she decide to tell her family about the situation.

Cyberbullying - entertainment in anonymous channels

The Telegram channel in which the post appeared is part of a network of local communities called Essence. Similar channels exist in different cities of Ukraine, including Odesa, and have probably been operating for years. The administrators themselves present them as a space where you can publish gossip, investigations, and scandals from your hometown.

In practice, most of the content is insults, humiliation, and mockery of children and teenagers. And the feeling of complete impunity is created by the anonymity of administrators and the lack of content filtering and moderation. Such channels are both public and private.

IMAGE: Screenshots of Telegram channel names

They are promoted through TikTok, where teenagers themselves record videos with recommendations to subscribe or, on the contrary, boast that they have already been added to this Telegram channel. In the comments, people share the "essence" of each city and give advice on how to become the hero of the post. In this way, children become not just part of the audience for toxic content, but also a tool for popularizing and romanticizing cyberbullying among their peers.

IMAGES: Screenshots of Telegram channel posts

What do law enforcement officials say?

In Ukrainian law, cyberbullying against a child falls under the definition of bullying (harassment) - psychological violence using electronic communications. Even one public post can be considered an offense if it harms the child's mental state. Therefore, after the 12-year-old girl's family learned about the situation, they decided to act. The older sister submitted an online application to the Cyberpolice, a template of which she found on the official website. After filling in all the necessary data, the application was sent and almost immediately she received a call from the main department of the national police in her hometown and was asked to come to the nearest department. There, the girl told them more about the situation. The policewoman listened and said that in this case, she needed to write a "physical statement" to which she should add the circumstances of the case, screenshots, the date when it happened, and details that had not been previously mentioned. The term for reviewing such complaints is 30 days, during which time law enforcement officers must contact the victim's representatives and report on the outcome.

Surprisingly, however, such appeals are the exception rather than the rule. According to law enforcement officials, most cases of cyberbullying against children are not officially recorded, so statistics may not show the real scale of the problem. Fear of losing credibility among peers, as well as unwillingness to draw attention to themselves, make teenagers keep the problem quiet, even when the bullying becomes more intense.

According to Viktor Storozhuk, senior operative of the Department for Combating Cybercrime, such Telegram channels are created with a clear understanding of the mechanisms of monetization and audience engagement.

"The organizers of these Telegram channels and such communities in general have one goal - to make some extra money. It is clear that this is done illegally: through humiliation, through bullying. And, for the most part, such communities are gaining popularity, because teenagers themselves post information about a certain person or spread it among their peers," the law enforcement officer emphasizes.

Administrators of such communities prepare for blocking in advance and work as a network. This makes it somewhat difficult to respond and allows toxic content to enter the information space again and again. Therefore, working with anonymous channels is somewhat more difficult and requires a comprehensive approach.

"The people involved in creating such communities understand that they will be blocked, so they create a certain algorithm of actions to distribute links to new Telegram channels to drive the audience from the blocked group to the new one. This is a really big system, but we are trying to reduce this technological aspect in order to further block this resource and maximize the impact on the fact that this kind of content stops being created at all," the senior operative notes.

To enable law enforcement to respond more quickly, it is essential that victims of cyberbullying file a complaint with them. The statement will serve as the basis for promptly blocking resources and restricting toxic content on the Internet.

Who can become a victim of cyberbullying?

Anyone can become a victim of cyberbullying. If the community administrators are sent one or two photos of you and add a "tasty description", you are in the crosshairs. Any photo that you or your friends, who never meant you any harm, have posted online can be a reason for harassment. It is impossible to predict that you or anyone else will become the next target, because it does not depend on gender, appearance, age, religion, etc.

Children are especially vulnerable. Their self-esteem is still being formed, and their perception and analysis of situations can be extremely unexpected. Public humiliation online has much deeper consequences, because "the Internet remembers everything." Content is stored, shared, and may reappear from time to time. A single post can turn into prolonged humiliation at school or among friends, leading to anxiety, depression, or social isolation.

"Cyberbullying often occurs where there is a lack of empathy and emotional regulation skills, so it is important to develop a conscious and responsible attitude towards online communication in adolescents. Prevention is based on developing self-esteem, the ability to defend personal boundaries, and the understanding that online aggression does not determine a person's value. In a situation of cyberbullying, it is important for a teenager not to isolate himself or herself and not to blame himself or herself for what is happening," says psychologist Tetiana Tomchuk.

When a child becomes a victim of cyberbullying, the most important thing for parents is not to panic and not to leave them alone with the problem. According to school psychologist Natalia Klymenko-Yashchyshina, the reaction of adults in the first moments can either reduce the trauma or, on the contrary, aggravate it. First of all, it is necessary to listen to the child calmly, to give him or her the opportunity to speak out without judgment, criticism or hasty advice. It is important not to use phrases such as "don't pay attention", "it's just a joke" or "it's your fault for telling", because they only increase feelings of shame and loneliness.

"A child needs to feel accepted and protected. It is useful to say directly: "What is happening to you is wrong, and we will deal with it together." It is important not to immediately take away the phone or ban the Internet unless the child requests it. For a teenager, this can mean additional punishment and the loss of the only channel of communication. Instead, you should review privacy settings together, help block offenders, complain about offensive content on social media, and explain how to use the protection features. Be sure to keep evidence of cyberbullying: screenshots of messages, comments, pages, dates and times of events. This is important both for working with the school and for possible legal defense," says the psychologist.

It is important for parents to support their child's resources, remind them of their strengths, involve them in things they feel successful in, or simply spend more time together.

What's next?

As long as Telegram channels remain virtually unregulated, the responsibility for children's online safety falls largely on families, schools, and communities. Combined with the stress of the war, information overload and lack of clear rules for using social media, we find ourselves in a dangerous digital environment where the lines between "jokes" and violence are very blurred. Therefore, do not be lazy to pay attention to the digital activity of children, talk to them about the risks of anonymous communities and explain that asking for help is not about weakness.

The story of our heroine is not an isolated case, and the problem of cyberbullying remains systemic. As long as the humiliation of children is in "prime time" and continues to collect views and likes, the issue of digital safety remains open.

Анастасія Ракоїд