Digital group chats, once harmless spaces for school chatter and memes, are increasingly becoming breeding grounds for coordinated online harassment among South African teens.

Experts warn that WhatsApp-driven echo chambers, zero-rated data bundles and poorly moderated platforms are fuelling a new “pack mentality” that turns ordinary peer conflict into collective digital aggression.

Rorke Wilson, an associate at The Digital Law Company, says these online mobs form quickly and naturally inside high-school ecosystems.

“When we get these digital mobs, when it happens in high schools, it sort of just generates organically in the same way that teenagers can be horrible to each other,” he said.

“We did some horrible things when we were teenagers, and it just gets exacerbated when we put a phone in their hands.”

Wilson says that while much of this behaviour is child-on-child bullying, some cases involve adults exploiting teens online.

He referenced one of the world’s most high-profile cyberbullying cases, that of Canadian teenager Amanda Todd, to illustrate how unregulated platforms can allow harm to escalate.

A global warning: The Amanda Todd case

In 2012, Amanda Michelle Todd, born in 1996, became one of the most widely known victims of long-term online harassment after years of being targeted and exploited on social platforms.

According to Canadian police reports and extensive media coverage, Todd had been manipulated by an online offender who blackmailed her and spread images of her without her consent.

The harassment continued across multiple platforms and school environments, leading to repeated bullying and physical intimidation from peers.

A month before her death in 2012, she posted a YouTube video using handwritten flashcards to explain the pressure, threats, and bullying she had endured.

The video, uploaded on September 7, 2012, went viral globally, drawing millions of views within weeks and prompting widespread public debate about digital safety for minors.

By 2025, the original upload had reached more than 15 million views, while mirrored versions and reaction videos had been seen tens of millions more times.

Her case gained worldwide attention and led to formal investigations by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the British Columbia Coroners Service.

It also helped spur international conversations about online exploitation, platform accountability, and the need for stronger protections for children in digital spaces.

Wilson said her case remains a stark reminder of platform responsibility.

“If you cast your mind back to Amanda Todd, she was targeted by a group of predators online for consistent bullying,” he said.

“Usually predators, get a sadistic thrill out of having that kind of control over these kids.”

WhatsApp and the South African problem

Wilson argues that South Africa’s teen landscape is uniquely vulnerable.

“One of the main reasons that it does happen is because of how dominant WhatsApp is in South Africa,” he explained.

With most mobile bundles offering free or cheap WhatsApp access, teens socialise constantly in digital spaces, with minimal adult oversight.

He believes prevention must start early.

“The best sort of response is having better education around bullying, delaying the age at which we put phones into their hands, and trying to get these social skills developed in real life.”

But Wilson says platforms themselves must also shoulder responsibility.

“We need to put more of an onus on these platforms to create a safe space for teens,” he said, arguing that weak moderation on popular worlds like Roblox leaves children exposed.

“If they make it safer for kids, they’ve cut out a substantial portion of the people that they’re making money from.”

TikTok: Safety tools are improving, but not perfect

TikTok’s Head of Trust and Safety, Cormac Keenan, said the platform is trying to address the complexity of online harassment.

“Harassment as a whole, and hate speech in particular, are highly nuanced and contextual issues that can be challenging to detect and moderate correctly every time,” he said.

Keenan says the company has hired “policy experts in civil rights, equity, and inclusion” and trained moderators to distinguish between reclaiming language and actual hate speech. TikTok also introduced prompts encouraging users to reconsider harsh comments, with “nearly 4 in 10 people choosing to withdraw and edit their comment.”

New livestream tools allow hosts to mute or remove harmful accounts entirely.

“We hope these new controls further empower hosts and audiences alike to have safe and entertaining livestreams,” Keenan said.

“It follows teens into what should be their safest spaces”

Mental-health professionals say digital mobbing is particularly harmful because it never switches off. Cayley Wood, a registered counsellor and founder of Ingage Support, says cyberbullying erodes the last place teens should feel safe: their homes.

“Cyberbullying is uniquely harmful because it follows teens into what should be their safest spaces, their homes, their bedrooms, even their phones,” she said.

South African data suggests 1 in 3 teenagers have experienced online bullying, often late at night or outside school hours.

The constant unpredictability can push teens into a state of ongoing stress.

“We see heightened anxiety, irritability, poor concentration, sleep difficulties, and a decline in academic performance,” Wood said.

Parents often don’t see the bullying itself but notice the effects.

“Sudden mood changes, irritability after being online, or avoiding their phone completely” are early warning signs, she says.

Recovery requires connection, not punishment

Wood says the most important early step is making the home feel safe again.

“Teens need to know they can talk without fear of judgement or punishment,” she said.

Removing devices entirely may backfire.

“Sudden removal of a phone can feel like a punishment,” especially in communities where online communication is a key social lifeline.

She advises parents to work with teens to block and report harmful accounts and to rebuild support systems offline through routine, sport, hobbies and trusted friendships.

“With support, they can heal, regain their sense of self, and develop healthier digital boundaries,” she said.

IOL News

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