Happy Slapping: What Is It And Why Is It So Cruel
If you have ever heard about happy slapping (in Spanish, ‘happy slap’), but you do not know what it is and why it is so cruel, you are going to be shocked with what we tell you next.
Happy slapping
The happy slapping was born in the UK in 2005, but it is a term used worldwide. It is a practice that consists of recording an attack with the mobile phone and then posting it on the network and cyberbullying the victims.
Aggression can be physical or verbal and spreads like wildfire on social media. Unfortunately, in some cases it goes viral and the victim feels terribly humiliated and humiliated, not only by their attackers but also by all the reproductions that the video has.
Many times, the search for likes or to be popular makes teenagers use this cruel technique of bullying on colleagues or friends. Aggression can be planned or spontaneous, but in either case, it is later posted on social media for entertainment and gaining a following.
It is, therefore, a form of cyberbullying and it is a form of violence that must be known in order to recognize it and remedy it as soon as possible. It is everyone’s duty that these videos do not have media coverage and that they do have criminal consequences if necessary.
When it started, everything was done by slapping strangers while recording with a mobile phone and later they were uploaded to social networks. Teens who did this thought it was funny to humiliate people of any age by doing this. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Happy slapping today
Currently there are different ways to carry out this practice, which follows a series of patterns that must be known to identify and report it as soon as possible:
- It is normally planned by tweens and teens.
- It is usually carried out between equals of the same age.
- The victim can be known or unknown.
- There is a physical attack that can be quite violent.
- It is usually carried out in a group and the victim is generally defenseless.
- It is recorded with a mobile.
- The video is broadcast on social networks or messaging applications.
Consequences
Of course, this has consequences. In fact, it is a crime because it causes moral damage to another person, as well as damage to physical integrity and image. By spreading it publicly through the internet, the victim’s right to privacy is violated, which is punishable by law.
In Spain it is usually charged as a crime of injuries and, if there are threats or some kind of coercion in the recorded images, they could also be charged. The video will always have a humiliating, degrading and humiliating character.
The people who carry out the assault commit a crime, but so do those who record the video even if they do not participate in the physical assault as such. Others who also commit crime (possibly without knowing it) are all those who spread the images through social media.
If there are witnesses who do not help the victim, they would also be committing a crime of failure to help. It is not a game, it is an act that is punishable and that whoever carries it out should find the consequences of doing it.
Does your child suffer from this type of bullying?
It is important to work on good communication with the children so that, through the word, the parents know what is happening to them and how life is going outside the home, when the parents are not by their side to protect them or know if something happens to them.
In the same way, it is essential to pay attention for changes in your behavior, in your mood, in your relationship with others, in your sleep, etc. If you detect any abnormality, it is important to speak with them and take the appropriate measures.
In case they have suffered this type of harassment, it is important to speak with the police and stop the broadcast of the video as soon as possible. It is always necessary for the victim to feel protected and know that nothing bad is going to happen to him.
Protect your children from any type of harassment. The best way to do this is by getting to know them and offering them information about the type of bullying that exists, why it occurs and how they can deal with it if they are victims or bystanders.
