WE millennials were the bridge generation. We grew up in a world where a playground fight might leave bruises but rarely went viral.
We endured schoolyard bullying, awkward social hierarchies, and endless peer pressure — but at least it stayed contained within our neighbourhoods, classrooms, and school canteens.
Fast forward to 2025, and children today live under a microscope we could never have imagined. Acts of aggression, harassment, or humiliation are now recorded, uploaded, and shared — not for evidence or justice, but for online status. The maxim seems to be: ‘it didn’t happen unless it’s recorded.
This “performance culture” of violence is particularly evident among teenagers. For some, asserting dominance online has become as important as in real life.
Humiliating a peer or bullying a classmate is no longer private; it’s a spectacle, curated for likes, shares, and virality.
Psychologists warn of “empathy erosion,” caused by constant exposure to shocking content online. Children become desensitised, and moral boundaries blur.
The tragic incidents in schools — from fights in Kuala Langat to sexual crimes in Baling and Melaka — show how terrifying this reality is.
Imagine if your daughter were the one being recorded committing sexual acts at school, or worse, being gang-raped, and those videos were spread online.
Or imagine your son was the one recording it, or even committing the act. The footage circulates, and one day, someone in your office or another parent recognises your child.
The horror isn’t just online; it invades your home, your community, your conscience.
Unlike in the 1990s, today’s youth live in a digital echo chamber where cruelty can gain attention, recognition, and validation. It’s no longer “just a fight” or “just a prank” — these moments are preserved forever, amplified by social media algorithms.
Parents and educators face an unprecedented challenge.
The government’s plan to raise the minimum social media age to 16 is a start, but policy alone cannot undo the cultural shift.
Millennials raising children now must reckon with the fact that what was once confined to playgrounds can now go viral in minutes.
Our experience tells us children can grow into responsible adults, but only if we adapt parenting to the digital realities they face — and confront the ugly truth of virality-driven behaviour before it becomes a generational norm.
The stakes are higher than ever: these are not just “kids being kids” — these are lives and reputations at risk, and one viral moment can leave permanent scars. — October 18, 2025
Julie Jalaluddin is the assistant news editor at Scoop