NGOs alarmed by children's use of Instagram for bullying peers in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Nonprofit organisations focusing on child safety have observed a concerning trend of fights and group clashes among schoolchildren, with Instagram identified as a prominent catalyst for such incidents.

NGO representatives working closely with children reveal that Instagram is being used by schoolchildren for bullying, abuse, and the creation of fake accounts targeting their peers.

In a case highlighted by a counsellor affiliated with a nonprofit organisation, conducting sensitisation drives in schools, a class 9 student at a top CBSE school in East Bengaluru created Instagram accounts impersonating at least 10 female classmates.

"She sent abusive messages in others' names and posted abusive contents on their page to tarnish the image," said the counsellor.

Nagasimha G Rao, director of Child Rights Trust, shared accounts of group clashes stemming from Instagram interactions. “We were shocked to know about a group clash that injured a few students for which Instagram was the root cause,” Nagasimha said.

“A fight which started during a group chat on Instagram led to personal comments between two students and their supporters. One student challenged the other to come face to face and, in the end, it was like a mini gang war that (only) ended when the parents intervened," he added.

'Ghost account' 

Some students maintain two accounts: one in their original name and another "ghost account" on Instagram. "Another thing that shocked us was children trying to hack others' accounts by guessing the password,” Nagasimha said.

“This may seem funny to them, but this all connects with cybercrime and children need to be educated about it,” he said.

Gopinath R, managing trustee of Sparsha Trust, recounted a distressing case where a class 9 student was depressed over derogatory comments on an Instagram photo.

"A student of Class 9 posted his photo on Instagram, for which many of his classmates commented, saying he looked like a monkey and started bullying him in the classroom. He went into depression and finally. his parents had to consult a psychiatrist,” Gopinath explained.

BR Supreeth, secretary of Oxford Group of Institutions, Nagarabhavi-Bengaluru, stressed the need to integrate digital literacy into school curricula.

"It is the duty of both the parents and school authorities to build positivity and evaluate social media content," he said.