Another day, another TikTok trend.
While most are fun — like this pickle popsicle and these food hacks — some are better left not trying.
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A new trend that involves TikTokers reminiscing about how they were bullies in middle school and high school is one of them. Since that’s not something to be proud of, people are boycotting the harmful trend.
Bullying is never okay.
It can lead to long-term psychological consequences, such as depression, low self-esteem, withdrawal from friends and family, and even suicide . Sadly, bullying can happen anywhere, such as at school, the workplace, and now the internet with social media.
These effects can follow a child into adulthood.
Research has found that pure victims of bullying were four times more likely to develop some sort of anxiety disorder compared to kids who weren’t bullied. They are also more likely to suffer from substance abuse.
One thing that helps is knowing that you’re not alone.
Even famous celebrities who have millions of fans all around the world have been bullied before. Shawn Mendes, for example, is one of them. The singer grew up in Pickering, Ontario.
He got discovered via Vine and YouTube, but when he first started uploading videos, he got made fun of for it.
“When I was in the 9th grade, I posted one of my first videos on YouTube,” he shared on Instagram.
“The day after, I was walking down the hall at school and guys started yelling out: ‘Sing for me, Shawn, sing for me!’ In a way that made me feel like what I was doing was just stupid and wrong.”
Thankfully, he didn’t listen to those bullies and continued to make music, which eventually led to stardom.
Another celebrity who was bullied as a kid is Henry Cavill.
Yes, the gorgeous star of Superman and The Witcher . Since he was bigger growing up, kids at school would call him ” Fat Cavil l .” Ugh. He was also called a ” quitter ” because he struggled to talk to girls.
Seeing as how terrible bullying is, this next TikTok trend is downright disturbing.
While “SLAUGHTER HOUSE” by Phonkha & Cecki plays, TikTokers reminisce about how they were bullies in middle school and high school by showing an image of their younger selves.
TikToker @chars0far took part in the trend, with her video racking up over 11 million views.
“I may look like a bitch now but…” she wrote in a text overlay while showing her face. Then, the video cut to an image of herself during her freshman year of high school. “She was pure evil.”
The trend didn’t sit well with viewers, especially those who have been bullied.
When one person wrote, “begging to hear some examples,” another replied, “we don’t need examples signed, the unpopular kids,” one wrote. “It shows that the bullies do not know regrets,” another added.
“y’all doing these trends peaked in high school huh,” a third wrote.
Other TikTokers, like @taynfranzen44 and @thatmfffffffff , also shared videos of how they were “mean” in school. But the heavy criticism caused these users to take down their videos.
“This trend is vile,” user @holliebeth89 said in a video response to the trend.
“Why are y’all proud of creating that kind of lasting damage on people? I would feel eternally ashamed.”
Another user, @itshelenmelon, showed an image of herself in high school from when she was the one being bullied. “I remember,” she wrote in a text overlay.
