This past week, hundreds of videos have been shared online with a new trend called the #HuhChallenge. This video from Twitter user Danial Babar is said to be the video that started it all, prompting others high school students to approach their friends with the same tactic.
In the videos, you can see that the challenge starts with the videographer narrating the life of their chosen victim ("Hey, my name's Billy and I wear hats to cover my huge forehead!") and ending their observations with a loud, resounding, "Huh!"
While most of the videos seem to be all in good fun, let's take a look at the particular wording that is being used to describes these videos. While this challenge may take the form of "roasting" your peers, let's call it what it is- this is bullying.
According to the National Bullying Prevention Center, one out of every four students are being bullied during the school year. Nationally, 19.6% of all high school students have reported being bullied within the past year. 14.8% of high school students report being bullied online. And finally, students that are bullied and victimized by their classmates, even if it's "all in good fun" are 3.3 times more likely to commit suicide.
Pretty scary, huh?
So all I'm asking is this- can we not pretend that this form of bullying (because, again, that's what this is) is okay? Can we not allow the growth in social media to increase the growth in bullying even more than it already has? Thousands of kids everyday put on a brave face and laugh at their own expense, allowing others to poke fun and tease them about things that might, in actuality, be a great source of anxiety and doubt for them.
There is no need to perpetuate a culture of online bullies, kids who will whip out their phones and throw their friends under the bus. Let's not pretend that it's okay for the #HuhChallenge to continue without any repercussions. So many forms of joking and teasing nowadays come from laughing at a another person's expense. It's time we redefine the culture and stop trying to make bullying a natural reaction.
Anna Marie Chavez said, "Unless and until our society recognizes cyber bullying for what it is, the suffering of thousands of silent victims will continue."
So, how about we stop this, huh?
