Defamation and social media expert lawyers. Best defamation solicitor

Internet Law Specialist Lawyers FREE CALL 0800 612 7211

Law Society Awards winners. Cohen Davis

Yair Cohen Lawyer of the Year Award.jpg

What our clients say...
"I followed your advice and it worked!"
“Thank you Ruzina, I followed the advice given about what to say to my internet trolls... Read More...
Contact our super friendly Social Media lawyers today!

Click HERE to Call Free for immediate help! 0800 612 7211

 

Every situation is different so by far the best way to find out how to respond to a social media legal issue is to speak to those who are most likely to have dealt with a situation similar to yours.
To find out how you can improve your reputation on the internet simply select one of the easy methods of contacting us.

 
Please use the form below to contact us.
We will respond as soon as possible.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Or you can call us on our free hotline.

FREEPHONE  0800 612 7211

(+) 44 207 183 4 123 from outside the UK.

Or if you prefer you can email us to helpline (at) CohenDavis.co.uk.

TheInternet LawCentre

Teenage harassment on social media

Teenage harassment on social media

Support for parents whose children are harassed on social media

There is an ever growing number of parents who contact us on behalf of their teenage school children who have been harassed on social media. Many of the victims are boys who are falsely accused of sexual assault and as a result have been socially expelled from society.

Harassment on social media of teenage school children

Who is at fault for the increase in teenagers harassment on social media

Teenagers receive death threats on Instagram

Children becoming victims of online abuse

What to do if your child has become target of online harassment

Harassment on social media of teenage school children

Anyone can set up a social media account, where they can pretend to be someone that they are not, and they can get away with providing false information with no form of verification. This situation has lead to failings of online institutions in preventing online abuse against their most marginalised users.

Many parents are worried about the role social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat, play in facilitating online trolls and harassment campaigns, by making it so easy for them to create abusive accounts that cause harm to their young victims.

This is a particular concern to parents who see how their young teens have become so reliant on social media, and technology as a source for information, it how hard it is sometimes for the child to admit the harm that social media may be causing them.

Teenage Harassment and Social Media Legal Advice FAQ

The rise in teenage harassment on social media can be attributed to weak barriers and the platforms' features that allow easy creation and proliferation of abusive accounts. Responsibility might be shared between users for their choice of privacy settings and platforms for not effectively preventing abuse.

Phoebe Jameson became the victim of an extensive online harassment campaign resulting in severe distress and hospitalisation. The relentless abuse showcases the intense psychological impact that online harassment can have, especially on young individuals advocating for positive change.

False accusations on social media lead to social isolation, segregation, and, in extreme cases, death threats against teenage boys and their families. Such accusations create a complex dilemma for authorities in deciding whom to protect, as both accuser and accused may be vulnerable.

Over 50% of 10-year-olds in the UK own mobile phones with internet access, exposing a significant number of children to online harm and abuse on social media. This widespread access contributes to a potentially harmful environment for young users.

If a child becomes a target of online harassment, it's crucial to preserve evidence, contact specialist lawyers for assistance, and never blame the victim. Legal advice should be sought to ensure proper handling of the matter by police and school authorities, especially in cases of false accusations.

Who is at fault for the increase in teenagers harassment on social media

The barriers are so weak when it comes to social media, which has permitted online abuse, and a relentless harasser who is able to constantly create different accounts to accelerate a campaign against their target. It could even be argued that society is learning how to use social media as a weapon rather than for the good, because platforms such as Instagram allow individuals to spy on their targets, through viewing a story, watching a live stream, or giving users the choice to create a public or private profile.

This “choice” for a user to decide as to whether their information should be public or private, could cause doubt that victims decide their own fate because they have decided that anyone can look at their profile. Where a private social media account may be safer, and secure, it does not look as glamorous as a public account, where social media offers more rewards to those who keep their accounts open, for example more likes and attention on a user’s profile.

Therefore, it is often unclear who is to blame here in cases of facilitating online harassment and whether the blame lies with the harassing young user or with the social media platform that permits and facilitates the harassing activities.

Teenagers receive death threats on Instagram

It was reported in February this year that a 19-year-old student, Phoebe Jameson, was the victim of an online campaign of harassment. Originally, Phoebe was a bright and bubbly, public character on social media with a large following, promoting body positivity and women empowerment. However, during the lockdown, Phoebe had to block over ten thousand abusive social media accounts on Instagram who were sending her relentless death threats which she had to endure day in and day out. She could not escape the online abuse, which was staring her in the face, merely at the grasp of her phone.

Phoebe was tortured online by a campaign of harassment, to the extent that she ended up in hospital, and she was tormented by the fact that social media do not seem to restrict a user from engaging in such disparaging behaviour online, and that they can hide behind a fake profile.

At the other end of the spectrum, our lawyers are dealing with an increasing number of teenage boys who had been falsely accused on social media of indecent and sexual assaults. In many cases, the false accusations result in the child being segregated and isolated and in death threats being directed at the child and his family.

The police is often at a loss as to who they should be protecting, the girl making the allegations or the boys who  denies them and who is being subjected to a dangerous campaign of harassment.

Children becoming victims of online abuse

Upon considering the above, we can only become more sceptical over the future of online harassment and social media abuse, especially where our young society are concerned. For example, over 50% of 10-year-olds in the UK own mobile phones, according to an Ofcom statistic from 2019.

Needless to say, a person can only imagine how many of these phones are connected to the internet, therefore further facilitating a child’s exposure to online harm and abuse on social media. The online harassment that children and teenagers experience in society can in some circumstances be highly detrimental to the point that online abuse may cause someone to feel suicidal or worthless.

What to do if your child has become target of online harassment

It is important to acknowledge that anyone can be a victim of a campaign of harassment online. You should never blame yourself if you have become the target of harassment and of false accusation on social media of improper conduct. In such case, you should do everything in your power to create a strong case for yourself and to preserve any evidence.

Too often we have worrisome parents, concerned friends and individuals who are experiencing online abuse, and they do not know what to do. It is common for individuals to think that nothing can be done if the account is fake, when in reality there is something that can be done. We have lawyers at our firm who specialise in tracking down online abusers and we have been able to successfully identify the abusers of our victims before it is too late.

Our lawyers are also accustomed to dealing with worrying parents who become aware that their son had been harassed and falsely accused on social media of inappropriate behaviour towards a female pupil. They often advise concerned parents about the steps they should take to ensure that the police is taking their child’s case of social media harassment seriously, particularly when the allegations have been initiated by a young female pupil at the school and where it is felt that the school is being unhelpful or discriminatory towards their son.

Defamation and social media
Search the entire site
Is Yelp.com faking it?

When I first read Yelp.com advice to victims of fake reviews I thought they were faking it.  Read More

 

Follow on Twitter

a flat out uncond

Signature cases

Our work featured on

Latest Articles

Explore this topic!
Our clients speak out
"They immediately referred us to Cohen Davis in the UK who...
“ We have had highly defamatory comments posted against our company and me, the CEO on... Read More...
"3 other specialist firms believed that they could not get...
"“Excellent customer service provided throughout. A great, hardworking, dynamic,... Read More...
"...understanding the issue straight away...”
"Professional and understanding the issue straight away. Very good service.” I. Khan... Read More...
"Their professionalism, transparency, and results-driven...
"After months of frustration and feeling voiceless when my social media account was... Read More...
"The solicitor was non judgmental and soon after I...
After discovering a series of defamatory videos and photos of me were uploaded by a semi... Read More...
"Your team and professional services are excellent"
"Your team and professional services are excellent and I actually really enjoyed my... Read More...

Online defamation