Hello, I am Maya i am 14 year old girl who uses the internet on a daily basis. Most kids my age do of course. The internet was obviously created with Good Intentions initially, But nothing in this world can be 100% good. There is always a downside. In the below paragraphs or “paper” i’d say, You will see the POV of a Teen about the toxic side of the internet. Before I Begin, I’d like to note that not all teens know or understand about this, so i am writing this to create awareness to everyone, not just adults, more to the teens because you yourself can stop yourself from doing something bad.
Incel Communties
I recently watched this movie/series called “Adolesence”, It’s main theme is about Incel communitites and how they affect teens (mainly boys). The series is an incredible representation about incel communities. When you watch it as an adult, the truth may turn out to be hard to swallow. But these communities exist and target young teens. In the movie, The main character (13M) murdered the girl he wanted to date (15F) just because she rejected him. His mindset was that when she was “weak” it made her more “gettable”. And when he didnt get what he wanted he “asserted dominance” by scaring her with a knife and murdering her. As a girl her age, it is terrifying to hear that this is based on a true story, Apparently these acts are Normal in places like UK and The US.
How do Incel communities work? What do they do to the young audience?
An incel is usually a person (most often male) who believes they are unable to have romantic or sexual relationships, often blaming society, women, or certain types of men for this.
Incel forums often encourage self-pity, misogyny, and hate speech, creating a cycle of negativity. Recently, especially on the internet, "incel" has become a toxic subculture, mainly involving men who express anger, resentment, or hatred toward women and others who are romantically successful. They often assert violence to seem dominant and powerful to women, and they try to bring down womento increase their self esteem.
Why do teens end up in such communities with these toxic mindsets?
Low Self- Esteem. This is dangerously common amongst kids, on the internet there are certain ideas or standards to seem normal or special. Most of the time these standards are drastic and unrealisitic for teens. For girls, it is mostly the need to have the perfect body and looks. For boys, it’s mostly to be masculine enough and the perfect body too. They feel the need to belong to a group where they belong. In real life many students or kids may feel like an outsider and have this need of validiation to belong to a group. Pure curosity & No healthy Guidance. Without proper guidance about these topics on the internet and as teens, being curious as they are they end up falling for such mindsets and follow the crowd with the need to fit in too. Manipulation from the creators (mostly emotional). These groups are smart about pulling people in,they start with relatable memes, stories, or support, then slowly introduce extreme ideas. Some even prey on emotional wounds, acting like they're the only ones who understand. Toxic groups also give a false sense of control. It helps teens avoid vulnerability by giving them a tough or angry identity to hide behind. These are just a few of multiple reasons why teens fall for these, But as stated earlier, I am a girl so the question may arise:
🗣️:“Why do you care? These are boys who are suffering how are women involved?”
Let Me show you..
How women/young girls are affected by Incel communitites
Spreading of Misogyny. As i described earlier, Incels usually bring women down to make them seem powerful, Incels often describe women as objects or enemies, calling them slurs. This normalizes sexism and hate speech and it leaks into social media, and even school culture. Creating alow self worth for women and mistreatment. Online Harassment. Women online especially if they speak up are often targeted with hate, threats, or doxing. Alot incels comment harsh and hurtful comments to women. If a girl defends herself, she’s called a “pick-me,” “feminazi,” or “attention seeker”. This makes many afraid to speak up, afraid to be confident, or afraid to take up space online. Romanticizing Control & Violence and Entitlement. Some incel-related posts praise control, manipulation, or even revenge if a girl says no. This can lead to real-life violence, stalking, or abuse especially if a boy feels “entitled” to a relationship. And when boys dont do disgusting things like SA to women, which is a basic normal thing, they feel entitled to be “better” and thanked for not doing what most boys would do. Girls may begin to internalize fear, second-guess their choices, or stop trusting themselves. Incels often say women "owe" them attention or affection. This teaches girls that they're responsible for fixing broken men even if those men are aggressive, disrespectful, or unsafe. It also guilt-trips girls into staying in bad situations out of pity or fear. Now that we know the root of the issue, the consequences and the psychology behind it. How do we prevent it?.
Proper Guidance for teens. Let them be aware of these toxic communities and manipulation techniques and answer all their questions. Teach them what is/is not acceptable between themselves and others. Teach them how to treat others (mainly girls) respectfully and about boundaries and teach them how to prevent such situations. Always be open and caring. Such topics can be a huge thing for kids, so be there for them if they have any questions and when they feel uncomfortable with anyone. Being kind is good, But also teach them why these actions are wrong.
My Unfiltered Thoughts on the Toxic side of The Internet
