A minor at a reputed school in Noida was cornered by his fellow classmates and a video of him being slapped has gone viral on social media. 4 children can be seen in the video egging on the child to slap his classmate. The video was being made for the purpose of a “Snapchat story”.
It is not uncommon, for these kinds of incidents to go viral on social media. These minors who are at an extremely impressionable age and whose lives are so tightly wrapped around social media more often than not, do not understand the consequences of their actions and the repercussions it may have.
This “slap-bet” incident has left the child traumatised and according to doctors, has left a hole in his eardrum, resulting in 25 % hearing loss. The boy has stopped going to school and has been weeping continuously, according to India Today.
The parents were asked not the go to the police and hence a FIR has not been filed yet. However, an email has been sent by the parent of the child to the principal of the school.
According to India Today, the principal has said that this was not a case of bullying.
These kinds of incidents, once again show us how rampant bullying is and continues to be. Even if this so-called bet was consensual, it still raises a lot of questions as to why kids need to resort to such cruel methods for entertainment and ‘fun’. The effects that social media has on these minors and the pressure it puts on them and how it influences their behaviour need to be discussed in depth.