Parents Warn Instagram Page Encourages Bullying in Alabama

In the middle of a pandemic where social distancing is encouraged and most entertainment businesses have restrictions, it can be a challenge to prevent boredom.

Many have discovered the joys of television shows that have been sitting recorded in DVRs, new YouTube series, and interacting with old and new friends on social media.

Unfortunately, though most social media platforms have minimum ages for participants, it goes without saying that some minors interact in various forms of social media. It goes without saying that parents should monitor their children's online activities. (Even if you're unaware of your child being on social media but you know there's access to the internet, check the devices.)

One parent recently brought attention to an Instagram page that is entirely dedicated to bullying.

One would assume that because the page is named "205_janking," everything is done in good humor, but the difference between janking (or jonesing as some would call it) and bullying is that when janking, there are two parties involved.  They combat each other in a war of insults.

What makes this bullying is that the victims are unsuspecting. They share highlights of their lives and quirky moments which display their personalities, only for their photos to be shared to a page where they are ridiculed.

Granted, there are some featured pictures where there is no negative reaction. However, the poster has expressed a preference for those to be excluded.

Back in the day, there were some "certified jankers" who everyone expected to crack a joke on anyone they could.  This was usually done to the subject's face and may have provided a laugh for the moment or even years later when the memory reemerged. The audience was much smaller than the reach on the internet.

Pages like this one not only make fun of the posted individuals, but they also create an avenue for complete strangers to engage in bullying people they don't know.

This is not okay. Parents have a responsibility to not only keep their children safe but also to make sure their children bring no harm to others.

In addition, the platforms should have a better system of monitoring pages and groups to prevent such activity. Until that is developed, all we can do is monitor our children and report community violations.

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