Tag: Teenagers

  • PUBG addict found after stealing Rs65,000 from home

    PUBG addict found after stealing Rs65,000 from home

    Majid Rehman, a 13-year-old boy addicted to playing the game PUBG, was found on Thursday after he went missing while purchasing groceries.

    His father, Reham Mehmood, reported his son’s disappearance, stating that the boy left home with Rs65,000 rupees for monthly groceries but never returned.

    Police registered a kidnapping case and began to search for him.

    Rehman was found by a National Highways and Motorways Police (NH&MP) team in a vehicle during an inspection.

    Apart from other items, the police found a PUBG character’s costume.

    As Majid was questioned, he revealed that when he left home, he decided to hang out with his friends and spent the grocery money buying things that were of interest to him. He also talked about his liking for PUBG.

    According to DSP Changezi, parents’ neglect towards their children results in such incidents.

    PUBG is a widely played shooter game. However, it has been a part of several unfortunate or absurd incidents in Pakistan as well as around the world.

    PUBG addicts, mainly children, have inflicted self-harm or harmed others. Some tend to run away from home. In extreme cases, players have committed suicide or shot people.

    Boys from Nawan Kot and Kahna killed their family members in 2021 and 2022, respectively, under the the influence of the violent nature of the game. One boy even chased a member into the street while clad in the game’s character attire.

    Similarly, children have committed suicide after losing the game or getting bullied for it.

    Following several cases, the Lahore Police asked the higher authorities to ban the game.

    The Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) created the “Mohafiz” app through which one can search and share information of cases of underprivileged, homeless children who run away from their homes in Punjab.

    Through the app, government institutions can also be reached in case of an emergency and citizens can report any disappearance or accidents involving children.

    According to Express Tribune, hundreds of children are present in various centres of Punjab including the CPWB in Lahore.

  • ‘Social media poses risk to mental health of teenagers’: expert

    US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on Tuesday, warning about the consequences social media usage has for women and children. He said that it is imperative now more than ever that tech companies, policymakers and parents take immediate action to ensure that children are protected.

    “For every family, it may not be feasible to stop your child from using social media or there may be benefits,” he told the Associated Press, “But drawing boundaries around the use of social media in your child’s life so there are times and spaces that are protected, that are tech-free, that can be really helpful.”

    According to The Guardian, Murthy revealed that it was terrifying that not enough research has been done to understand the harm social media has over children:

    “The bottom line is we do not have enough evidence to conclude that social media is, in fact, sufficiently safe for our kids. And that’s really important for parents to know.”

    The advisory is a part of Dr Murthy’s ongoing investigation in to the mental health crisis of American youth. The report pointed out that more than 95% of American teenagers between the ages of 13 to 17 years old are active on social media platforms, while a third said they use these apps constantly. The report also pointed out that there has been a noticeable rise of children and adults dealing with anxiety and depression due to social media usage.

    This report has arrived in the wake of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen revealing in 2021 that according to research conducted by Facebook, 13.5% of teen girls say Instagram makes thoughts of suicide worse, and 17% of teen girls say Instagram makes eating disorders worse.

    “And what’s super tragic is Facebook’s own research says as these young women begin to consume this eating disorder content, they get more and more depressed. It actually makes them use the app more,” Haugen revealed. “They end up in this feedback cycle where they hate their bodies more and more.”

  • Proposed French bill will require influencers to disclose filters used on their pictures

    A new law proposed by the French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire will soon ban social media influencers from uploading photos without mentioning re-touches or filters they have added to them.

    The new law seeks to curtail cosmetic surgery, keeping in mind its ill effect on the mental health of teenagers. The law states that any new picture or video uploaded will also include the filters added to it in the caption or description, while all promotions of cosmetic surgery will be banned.

    Penalty for revoking this law could include up to two years in prison and $32,525 in fines, while the influencer responsible for breaking the law would also be banned from using social media or profiting from being an influencer.

    Speaking to a French website, Le Maire said that the law was not an attempt to restrict influencers. It was to create a system that protects them as well as consumers.

    This is not the first time France has taken strict measures to tackle the rise of inaccessible beauty standards. In 2017, the country passed a law requiring any commercial photo that has been re-touched to change the model’s body to be labeled as ‘photographie retouchée’ (retouched photograph).

  • TikTok will set a 60 minute screen time limit for users under 18

    TikTok will set a 60 minute screen time limit for users under 18

    After consistent criticism against social media apps on the harmful impact they have on underage users, TikTok has announced measures to tackle the problem. On Wednesday, Tik Tok revealed that users under the age of 18 will now have their usage restricted to a one hour time limit.
    Once the 60 minutes limit has been reached, users will have to type in a passcode to continue, a move which will allow them to make an active decision to continue using the app.
    Cormac Keena, the head of trust and safety at Tik Tok, wrote a blog post where he revealed that the company had consulted experts and researchers from the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston’s Childrens Hospital about how to help teenagers limit their online activity.
    “While there’s no collectively-endorsed position on how much screen time is ‘too much’, or even the impact of screen time more broadly, we recognize that teens typically require extra support as they start to explore the online world independently,” Keenan wrote.
    Keenan also revealed that a new update will be added to Tik Tok’s Family Pairing feature, which will allow a parent or guardian to link their account to their child’s and set controls like filtering words or hashtags they don’t want their minor to come across, or even set a custom daily screen time limit.

  • Pakistani teens need to understand that bullying, violence isn’t cool

    Pakistani teens need to understand that bullying, violence isn’t cool

    A 35-member violent gang of boys enrolled in different private schools in Lahore is operating in the city under the name ‘102’. According to the police, one of the gang members reportedly tortured a young boy in a snooker club, taped the assault and uploaded the video on social media. This is not the first time we are hearing about teenagers in private schools indulging in bullying and harassing other young students. Last month, a video surfaced where three girls were forcing their classmate to the ground and then sitting on her back. One of the girls could be seen pulling the victim’s hair and swearing at her while making her apologise.

    These incidents are triggering, but what is more alarming is to witness the behaviour of these teenagers. What is it that they are learning? Why are these kids indulging in violence? How are parents so unaware of their kids’ whereabouts and what are they doing? What is even more concerning is how these kids have normalised bullying, harassment and violence.

    Parents need to teach their children what is right and wrong. They need to be extra vigilant to know what their children are consuming online. Teenagers, too, need to realise that if they are given freedom, it doesn’t mean they can hurt others in the name of being cool and resort to violence. Nothing justifies violence and bullying. The schools where such children are studying also need to be vigilant and watchful of how students are treating each other.

    With every passing day, violence is increasing in children. Have we ever wondered what are the reasons for this increase in violence? Maybe it’s the content children are consuming online or maybe violent video games that they play makes violence just another act of being cool to them.

    We have seen how gun culture is prevailing and how children are taking lives of their own peers. Actions have consequences. Parents, teachers and elders need to be careful and watchful towards their young children. These young minds need to be protected and taken care of. Negligence and ignorance can lead to serious problems as the kids grow up. What we are witnessing with the behaviour of these young children is rather an appalling sight. We hope our children do better and learn better. This evilness, and unkind behaviour needs to stop.

  • Afghan girl shoots down two Taliban militants who killed her parents

    Afghan girl shoots down two Taliban militants who killed her parents

    An Afghan girl has shot down two Taliban militants who killed her parents and wounded several others with the AK-47 rifle

    The militants had captured the family home in the village of Griwa because the girl’s father supported the government.

    They had dragged the father and mother from the home before murdering them, local officials in Ghor province said.

    The girl, Qamar Gul, aged between 14 and 16, had taken the family’s AK-47 rifle and killed the two of the killers. The group denies any of its fighters died.

    Later, more militants came to attack the house but villagers and government troops fought them off.

    The girl and her younger brother were shifted to a safe place by security forces, Mohamed Aref Aber, spokesman for the provincial governor, told AFP.

    Photos of Gul went viral on social media where people praised her for her bravery.

    https://twitter.com/Indian46899293/status/1285511798594998272?s=20
  • Harassment at school

    Harassment at school

    Accounts of sexual harassment that were shared on social media last month by students of Lahore Grammar School’s (LGS) 1A1 branch were harrowing to say the least.

    Four male staffers were subsequently terminated while the principal, administrator and coordinator were suspended as they have been accused of covering up the scandal.

    We must say that it was very brave of the victims to recount their trauma and raise this issue on social media when all other avenues failed. More power to these girls who did not back down for demanding justice for themselves and their fellow students.

    To think that this had been going on for four years under the administration’s nose makes one wonder why senior members of the administration did not pay any heed to multiple complaints by students. Sexual harassers are of course the main culprits here and they must be punished according to the law but those who abetted them by covering up their crimes cannot shirk responsibility either. Once a student had approached the administration to report sexual harassment, it should have been investigated right away and proper measures should have been taken instead of blaming and shaming underage girls for ‘leading on’ these predators.

    Victim-blaming is not just mentally damaging and demeaning, in this case it was downright criminal. The commitment of Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas as well as Federal Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari to the LGS case is commendable. However, Raas’s suggestion that only female teachers should teach at all-girls’ schools is a stop-gap arrangement of sorts. This policy cannot be dictated and it should not be implemented either. By this token, do we think that any man who teaches girls in schools cannot control himself? What about all-boys schools where male teachers have abused? This sort of messaging is not appropriate. Male teachers must be taught to treat their students as ‘students’ and not any sexual beings. Parents send their children to school for education, believing they are sending them to a safe environment where they will be looked after by the school management just like families look after their own.

    A school is quite literally a child’s second home where he or she learns, makes friends and prepares for their future. It should never have been a place where underage girls were sexually harassed by faculty members with unwanted and inappropriate pictures, messages, etc.

    Educational institutions – from schools and colleges to universities – should have a proper and clear policy on sexual harassment. This policy should be public and awareness sessions should also take place regarding this issue. Psychologists should also be hired by educational institutions to provide free counselling to children and not just for sexual harassment but also for other issues they might be facing. Just like some schools have career counselling, there should be counsellors – like ombudspersons – to hear complaints about sexual harassment at schools. These are just the basic things that all educational institutions must comply with.