Children use humiliation videos as weapons in conflicts

An investigation by DR found 82 videos showing Danish children and young people being beaten or humiliated, with some viewed tens of thousands of times. The videos are shared on social media and can turn ordinary disputes into more serious conflicts, experts say.

In one video, a 15-year-old boy is ordered to apologise while four other boys film him. The footage was shared online and, according to the boy, seen by many thousands of people. He told DR that everyone at his school had watched it.

The boy said the incident followed a dispute with his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend. He agreed to meet him, but found that the boy had brought others. They made him apologise on camera. Psychologist Mia Lind Winther, who leads Save the Children Denmark’s SletDet counselling service, described videos like this as “digital trophies” used to show what someone is capable of and willing to share.

The videos include children being punched, kicked and slapped, and forced to say degrading things about themselves. In some of the most serious cases, a knife is held to a victim’s throat. DR does not know the identities of the people in one clip showing a boy being kicked in the head, or the circumstances behind it.

Several experts told DR that many videos follow ordinary disputes involving ex-partners or friends. The footage can then be used as a weapon in those conflicts and make them escalate. Psychologist David Troutman Madsen said bullying and humiliation existed 20 years ago, but “now it is plugged in”.

Commands heard in the videos include “kiss my shoe” and “say you’re sorry”. Winther said humiliating victims and forcing them to submit was a recurring feature. Sharing the videos online can prolong conflicts, make them more complex and worsen the consequences for everyone involved, she said.

Darksight Analytics found the 82 videos over a three-month period. In 36, there were clear indications that the victim and the person or people responsible knew each other. Many of those videos also appeared to follow a conflict. DR could not establish whether the people knew each other in the remaining videos.

Most of the victims were boys, and many appeared very young. Winther said Save the Children Denmark hears from children as young as 12 to 14 about violence and humiliation videos.

The videos were found through systematic online research using open sources on TikTok, Telegram, Snapchat and Instagram. Researchers created fake profiles to access some content, but did not impersonate real people. DR reviewed the videos and classified them based on indications of a relationship between victims and those responsible. Researchers were able to identify the location of 15 videos.

Experts said social media algorithms can promote shocking content because it captures attention. After someone watches a violent video, algorithms may show them more similar material. Madsen said young people may make the videos because they have learned that extreme content reaches more viewers.