What is the online gore trend? How do I know if my teenager is a victim? Signs to watch out for
The gore trend, which has been compared to the 764 movement, has recently increased its online presence.
On March 31, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson issued a news release to warn guardians of the trend's dangers.
Here's what parents need to know.
Often perpetuated by teenagers themselves, the trend aims to generate online gore material through coercion and victimization of other teens. According to the news release, content includes but is not limited to "cutting, blood signs, child sexual abuse material, sextortion, bestiality, the torture or killing of animals, and documented suicide." Victims are encouraged to become the subject and victimize others through chat rooms and video games. Those who refuse are often threatened. Leaders of these trends also often encourage and execute attacks on others via bomb threats and swatting.
∎ Teens and pre-teens aged 11-17 who experience mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, or are part of the LGBT community.
∎ Spend an unusual amount of time online in a private space such as a bedroom (these activities usually take place on a desktop, laptop, or gaming computer).
∎ Refer to 'friends' by screen names only.
∎ Have any signs of cutting themselves (this can be done anywhere on the body). The cuts are used to make a 'blood-sign,' which is the writing of a message in blood, usually written in the bathroom/shower, then photographed.
∎ The harming of pets and animals (most specifically cats).
∎ Receive gifts, money, food deliveries, etc. from online or unknown relationships.
If you believe your child may be a victim of these crimes, immediately report it to local law enforcement or the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Nina Tran covers trending topics for The Greenville News. Reach her via email at ntran@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Online gore trend in SC: Parents, here are the signs, who to call
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
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In addition to police distrust and uncertainty at their ability to help, individuals may feel shame and fear of retaliation, and choose not to report due to fear about being blamed or not believed, feelings of guilt or embarrassment, worries about social or professional consequences, and complex, ongoing relationships with the perpetrator. Others face pressure from unsupportive friends or family, aren't emotionally ready to speak due to emotional trauma, or struggle with gaps in memory caused by trauma or substance use. Limited access to support services can also be a reporting barrier, as can concerns about legal processes that risk reopening emotional wounds. There can also be limited awareness of what 'counts' as sexual violence, alongside another set of factors that the FBI emphasizes can vary among different U.S. locations in a way that impacts crime rates. These factors include population size and density, the proportion of young people in a given area, economic conditions, cultural and religious characteristics, divorce rates, and state-level policies. The FBI also highlights the importance of the 'effective strength of local law enforcement agencies,' 'citizens' attitudes toward crime' and the 'crime reporting practices of the community,' examined in more detail below. Assault never reported to the FBI Manhattan Institute scholar Jeffrey H. Anderson reported in City Journal last fall that only 85% of law enforcement agencies submitted data for 2023 — meaning 'the FBI is capturing only a portion of crimes reported to police.' According to the Marshall Project's analysis of participation data from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, nearly one-third of the nation's 18,000 law enforcement agencies were also missing from the FBI's 2022 crime statistics. After his own analysis of short-comings in the FBI data in 2022, Theodore P. 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a day ago
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