Videos showing torture could leave deep scars on children, say experts

JEDDAH – The circulation of video clips showing children being tortured and their rights usurped through social media sites will leave a negative social and psychological impact that will endanger their future life, according to experts. Spelling out the negative consequences of such behavior on social media networks, the experts said children would lose self-confidence and become victims of fear and timid. “It will also affect their social relations and academic performance as they will lose concentration,” one expert said. He said such videos would leave deep scars in their minds. “They will also be exposed to insults by classmates and friends at school,” he added. Dr. Tariq Saeed of King Saud University said many people spread such news about children through social media to win likes and followers without understanding the consequences of their action. “A large number of people follow news about child abuse and as a result some social media activists publish illustrated reports to inflame emotions,” he said. Saeed added: “I don’t think anyone has the right to take photos of children while they are in a difficult situation and publish them.” He said some rights associations have imposed certain restrictions on photographing children in distress. “In my opinion people should impose self-restrictions by not taking and not circulating photos that might cause embarrassment to children. Nobody would like to see such photos.” Saeed hoped the government would enact rules and regulations to prevent photographing children being tortured and publishing their pictures or videos on social media. “A special agency should be appointed to monitor what is being published about children on social media. Today’s children are tomorrow’s adults. We should take care of them and protect them,” he said. Dr. Salma Bahashwen of King Abdulaziz University said: “We see violations against children almost every day. Social media activists publish reports relating to mental, physical and intellectual torture of children without considering its negative impact on them.” Such photos, according to Bahashwen, will make children depressed and frustrated. “The lack of a sense of belonging, violation of privacy and feeling of self-contempt are other negative impacts,” Bahashwen said. She emphasized the need to prevent the media from this aggressive practice against children. “Children should be allowed to file lawsuits against those who violate their privacy and demoralize them,” she said. Those who violate children’s rights by circulating videos should be punished as they expose children to danger and exploit them to realize vested interests, she said. Wafa Al-Saadi, a former employee at the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, said: "There are mental and physical tortures. Mental torture will make the children lose their self-confidence and they will not be able to express themselves properly and will not be able to distinguish between right and wrong. They will have a negative attitude toward everything in life." Nouf Mohammed Magharbil, executive director and founder of Jeddah Children’s Directory, highlighted the dangers posed by the publication of videos of children being tortured. “They will lose self-confidence, exposed to fear and will suffer from a lack of concentration. It will also affect their social relations while dealing with people around them. They will become introverts and will not be able to mix with people. It will also affect his academic performance,” Magharbil said. Academic consultant Hamdan Al-Owaidhi said rebuking children and torturing them mentally have now crossed the boundary of their homes as a result of publication of incidents through the social media. “This will leave a huge negative impact on the affected children as pictures or videos showing their shortcomings and mistakes are circulated worldwide,” he explained. “If children are rebuked in public they will lose their self-confidence. They will not be able to take decisions and may fail in life,” Al-Owaidhi said. “In fact, children should be motivated through highlighting their good qualities and achievements,” he added. “On the other hand, focusing on their negative aspects will destroy them. Social media activists are mentally torturing children by taking their pictures and publishing them. It’s unjust and unfair to themselves, the children and society at large,” said Al-Owaidhi.