#RoastMe trend invites ridicule in the name of comedy, but there is a limit
The tradition of ‘roasting’ has moved from television to social media, with adults and teens posting videos to sites like Reddit and Twitter asking to be skewered by strangers for the sake of comedy. For many, it’s a harmless exercise meant to get a few laughs. But for teenagers, it can lead to vicious cyberbullying, according to Laura Saunders, PsyD, ABPP, assistant director of psychology at the Institute of Living.
“Cyberbullying affects children worldwide and many negative outcomes, from social and academic difficulties to severe psychological distress, have been associated with involvement in bullying,” Dr. Saunders said at a recent IOL Grand Rounds presentation.
Bullying among school-aged children in now recognized as a major public health problem in the western world. While physical bullying is more common among middle school students, cyberbullying is worse in high school. Twenty-eight percent of students in grades 6-12 have reported being bullied at some point in their lives, and nine percent have reported cyberbullying specifically.
And although bullying has declined overall in the past 10 years, youth identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual are two to three times more likely than their heterosexual peers to experience bullying.
Researchers have associated the quality of the home, school and community environments with increased risk for involvement in bullying. Bullying behavior is common where there is an unsupportive school climate and impoverished, unsafe or disorganized communities. Domestic violence, substance abuse and sexual abuse in the home also appear to increase the risk of involvement in bullying. While there are other risk factors associated with bullying, research shows that, in general, exposure to aggression and absence of supportive resources may put youth at risk for engagement in bullying behaviors.
It may be easy to think of bullies as what we see in movies and television, but the situation is a bit more complicated than that.
“Bullying and victimization are not mutually exclusive, meaning children can be involved in bullying as both a perpetrator and a victim simultaneously, and to varying degrees,” Dr. Saunders said.
Because victims can become bullies themselves, it’s important to identify and support victimized youth to avoid further negative consequences like increased anxiety and depression, increased substance use, suffering academic performance, lower lifetime earning potential and higher risk of suicide.
What should you do if you see someone asking their online peers to roast them? Start a conversation.
“With something new like this, the best opportunity is to nip it in the bud,” Dr. Saunders said in a recent interview with Fox 61. “Let’s get parents asking their kids, have you heard of this roasting game? Do you know anyone that’s engaged in this?”
Having at least one close friend has been shown to mitigate the consequences of being rejected by a larger peer group, and is associated with important indicators of overall well-being. Positive peer relationships are also helpful in warding off potential bullies, as bullies tend to target youth of lesser power who appear to be socially isolated. Access to support from school staff also protects against feelings of emotional distress, discomfort and alienation after exposure to bullying situations.