Internet activism hurting youth amid lockdown?

After the Bois Locker Room chats caused an uproar in the country, the case of a teenage girl, who reportedly faked herself as a boy to plan her rape, has come as a shock to everyone. These incidents seem to have propelled a fear among youngsters. Can this be called a result of the internet activism?

“My daughter’s screen time had increased during lockdown,” says Bhavna Aggarwal, a Mumbai-based parent, wondering how the incident would’ve impacted her 16-year-old. “She seems withdrawn and evasive.

I can sense she is scared, and probably that’s why, she has quit social media,” says Aggarwal.

Haris Khan, a 21-year-old student of Delhi University, who is one among those who ousted the Bois Locker Room Instagram group, says, “When the suicide news of a Gurugram-based boy broke, and got falsely linked to the group I exposed, I received death threats to stop our internet activism. I’m scared of stepping out now.”

The unwarranted linkages between different incidents of cyber crimes is heightening the degree of psychological stress among oungsters, says experts. There seems to be a onfusion that the Bois ocker Room group and the Snapchat controversy of the fake ID made by a girl are related. In the Snapchat screenshot, there were rape threats; it went viral and some whistle blower mixed both the incidents,” says Shubham Singh, a Mumbaibased cyber expert — who helped unearth the members of the Bois Locker Room.

Saniya Bhutani, clinical psychologist, says, “Adolescents struggle with identity formation. Lack of proper guidance, and trust between parents and children can make a child anxious when they see kids of their age getting legally reprimanded, which can lead to fear psychosis.”