The Screenshot – what this story teaches, the signs and what to do
From the book – Chapter 28: Digital and Social-Media Mental Health
The Screenshot
Kabir, thirteen, in Delhi, laughed off a group chat joke about his accent. Then someone made a meme of his voice note and shared it widely. Messages followed him home at night. He stopped replying, stopped eating lunch at school and slept badly.
His mother noticed that he flinched when his phone buzzed and had started saying he felt ill every morning. He did not want to tell her because he felt ashamed and feared she would take his phone away.
What this story explains
This story shows cyberbullying as violence that follows the child home. It also shows why saving evidence, telling a trusted adult and school action matter.
How to recognise it
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A child who becomes jumpy, secretive or upset after being on a device.
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School avoidance, tummy aches or a drop in marks.
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Withdrawal from friends and low mood or anxiety.
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Reluctance to share the phone for fear of losing it.
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Mean messages, memes or exclusion in group chats.
What to do
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Stay calm and thank him for telling you.
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Save screenshots and dates; do not delete them.
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Block and report the accounts or messages on the platform.
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Tell the school and ask for a safety plan, and keep checking in on how he feels.
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Support emotionally: sleep, food, time with friends and family.
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If he speaks of hopelessness or harming himself, stay with him and contact the local emergency number or go to the nearest hospital.
Do and don’t
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Listen first. | Do not take his phone away as punishment. |
| Keep evidence. | Do not say "just ignore it". |
| Involve the school. | Do not reply angrily to the bullies' parents online. |
| Reassure him it is not his fault. | Do not delete the evidence. |
| Support the child who bullies as well. | Do not minimise. |
Read the full chapter – Chapter 28: Digital and Social-Media Mental Health
Stories from real life
- The Lamp in the Dark – Nikhil, thirty-one, a software tester in Pune, scrolled in bed every night "just to wind down." Midnight became one, then two. He answered work messages in…
- Perfect on the Screen – Leena, sixteen, in Mumbai, followed fitness and beauty accounts. Every picture looked flawless. She began to compare her face and body with strangers and filters, and…
- Seventeen Tabs, One Diagnosis – Samira, twenty-four, in Karachi, felt tired, anxious and restless. She searched her symptoms at night and read comment threads from strangers. By morning she was sure…
- What He Searched for at Night – Marcus, seventeen, in Toronto, had been low since his parents' divorce. He told people he was fine, but he gave away a favourite game, stopped replying…
More on this topic: Phone addiction, social media and screen time – digital well-being
More questions
- Perfect on the Screen – what this story teaches, the signs and what to do
- Seventeen Tabs, One Diagnosis – what this story teaches, the signs and what to do
- What He Searched for at Night – what this story teaches, the signs and what to do
- What can we learn from the story “Ankit’S Evening, Rewritten”?
- What we already know? (Chapter 28)
- Understanding sleep – phones and social media
- Understanding attention and noise – phones and social media
- Understanding comparison, bullying, body – phones and social media
- Understanding danger online – phones and social media
- A usable day, not a purity test – explained simply
- Too much phone and social media? A balanced way