Internet activism hurting youth in lockdown? Parents worry, experts suggest counselling

The recent internet controversies — Bois Locker Room Instagram chats and Snapchat screenshots of a girl faking her identity — seem to have had a negative impact on the mental health of youngsters.

Soon after the revelation of Bois Locker Room chats, what went viral is a case of a teenage girl, who reportedly faked herself as a boy, on Snapchat, to plan her rape. These recent, controversial social media incidents have somehow propelled a psychological fear among many youngsters. Can this fear be called a result of the internet activism?

“Since the lockdown, my daughter Amrita’s screen time had increased immensely,” says Bhavna Aggarwal, a Mumbai-based parent, who is worried about how the recent Bois Locker Room incident must have impacted her 16-year-old. “I tried talking to her, but she seems to be withdrawn and evasive about conversations around the topic. Problem is that youngsters have started taking their social media identities seriously, and their mood swings are based on the approval they get from their peers on social media. Amrita seems scared about the ramifications that one post could have on social media and as far as I know, she has quit from all of her profiles online, which is worrisome,” adds Aggarwal.

What’s worse is that the confusion and linkages between different incidents is heightening the degree of psychological stress among youngsters who are glued to their screens amid lockdown. “There seems to be a confusion that the Instagram group Bois Locker Room and the Snapchat controversy of the fake ID being made by a girl are interrelated. These are two separate incidents. In that Snapchat screenshot, there were rape threats, and that’s why it went viral and people started reacting and some whistle blower mixed both the incidents, which was misleading,” says Shubham Singh, a Mumbai-based cyber expert — who helped the police unearth contact details of all the participants in the Bois Locker Room controversy. And Anyesh Roy DCP, CyPAD (Cyber Prevention, Awareness and Detection Centre), which is Delhi Police’s Cyber Cell, confirms, “The Snapchat conversation is between two individuals, and out of those two individuals, out of which one was a fictional character, none was part of the Instagram group named Bois Locker Room. They weren’t members of the group Bois Locker Room. The Snapchat screenshots dated long back as compared to the Instagram group.”

“Adolescence is a period when an individual is struggling with identity formation, and while some may strive to achieve it by using their talents or academic skills, others may take cues from social media, television and movies and form a ‘digital identity’ that they take very seriously.”
— Saniya Bhutani, psychologist

The sudden outburst of fear due to a number of such internet incidents, and the consequent mental stress it has caused among many youngsters has come into the notice of psychologists as well. Saniya Bhutani, a clinical psychologist who practices in Delhi and Mumbai, opines, “Adolescence is a period when an individual is struggling with identity formation, and while some may strive to achieve it by using their talents or academic skills, others may take cues from social media, television and movies and form a ‘digital identity’ that they take very seriously. Therefore, the likes-unlikes and comments that the youngsters receive on social media enhances or ruptures their concept of self. It’s hence crucial that their caregiver monitors what is being watched and consumed on social media. Adequate attention has to be given to adolescent needs; in absence of this the individual may indulge in attention-seeking behaviour or may isolate oneself, which could in turn lead to extreme activities in some cases, even criminal.”

What’s happening in the web world, is mentally impacting those who are directly involved, and even those who are remotely connected; which eventually means most of the youth. Haris Khan, a 21-year-old Delhi University student, who is one of the youngsters who ousted the Bois Locker Room Instagram group, confesses that ever since the incident has been reported publically, he has been experiencing anxiety. “Many cases are getting falsely linked to the Bois Locker Room case,” says Khan, adding, “Immediately when the suicide news of a Gurugram-based school boy broke, I received messages to stop our internet based activism and people blamed me for that suicide — truth is that there’s no connect between the two. But, because of such misleading linkages, I’ve been getting death threats from people on social media! Now I regret speaking up, and to be honest, I’m scared of stepping out of my house.”

Bhutani explains, “Lack of proper guidance to teenagers coupled with the lack of trust and communication between the parent and the child, can make a child feel fearful and extremely anxious when they see such news where other kids of their age group are legally reprimanded. This can also contribute to fear psychosis. In such times, if a child is scared and is fearing social shame, they could take extreme steps. Therefore, it’s very important that parents and care givers establish a bond of trust and open communication with their children, so that, in case your child is dealing with certain issues or is scared because of something beyond their control, they can come to you and talk it out.” The psychologist adds that in cases where the youngster becomes a recluse, counselling by a mental health expert becomes necessary.

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