A series on Netflix, 'Adelsense', is very popular right now, about the extent to which uncontrolled access to the Internet can affect children. In it, a 13-year-old boy, Jamie Miller, is arrested for the murder of his counterpart, Katie Leonard.

While explaining the background of why he did so, the issue of how teenagers fall prey to toxic ideas like 'manosphere', symbols like 'purple devil emoji' and subculture like 'incel' is deeply presented in the digital world .  In the

series, a girl sends Jamie a purple devil emoji on Instagram, which is considered a sign of hate or trolling on the internet, and Jamie feels deeply insulted . Jamie kills her in a fit of rage and revenge after the girl teases him about being an 'Incel', an 'online group who believe women don't love them because they're not beautiful'. This series of Internet-inspired juvenile delinquencies shows the complexities of modern teenage life. It shows the new trends of cyberbullying, online hatred, self-esteem crises and the anger, isolation and revenge created by toxic forums like 'Manosphere' where anti-feminist views are shared . 

According to the BBC, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that it is extremely difficult to watch this series with his teenage children. Prime Minister Starmer has also welcomed the announcement that Netflix will show it for free in UK secondary schools. 'Adelsense' has pointed out the need for a serious discussion about the impact of social media on the mental health and behavior of teenagers. While social media scrolling and excessive screen time are becoming a global problem, such problems appear more and more in places like Nepal where digital literacy is low.

Nirjala Thapa (18) of Budhanilkanth has started to feel that she is falling into the trap of 'doomscrolling' after spending hours on 'reels' despite trying to learn new things on social media, watch only positive content and reduce screen time. While trying to stay informed about the events of the country and political developments around the world, she gets lost in the social media like fights, accidents, murders, corruption, wars, disappointments and dark jokes. 

Nirjala's Facebook reel and Insta feeds, a graduate student at Lord Buddha College, are full of recent protests, violent activities and political explainers in Nepal and various countries today. Although she feels that the habit of using a mobile phone for a long time has an impact on her health and lifestyle, she is sometimes worried that she has not been able to stop it. "People seem to be fighting on social media, teasing each other, criticizing anything and making a lot of noise," says Nirjala, "There is a trend among us gen jis to share dark jokes a bit too much." When trying to get updated on the news, you never know when you will come across such loud and dark content.'  

The term 'doomscrolling', which has been widely heard especially since Covid-19, refers to the tendency to continuously scroll through negative news and content on one social network platform after another. Studies have shown that some teenagers like Nirjala are suffering from doomscrolling and doomsurfing, fear of missing out called FOMO, nomophobia, fear of staying away from mobile phones, 'vamping' where they forget on the internet until late at night, or 'cyberchondria', which is an unnecessary worry about their health status on the internet, and mobile phone and scrolling addiction. . 

A report published in the US National Library of Medicine about the 'addictive tendency' of social media shows that stress (anxiety) increases due to the 'fear of missing out' (FOMO) among 11- to 19-year-old teenagers. According to "The Emerging Phenomenon of Nomophobia in Young Adults: A Systematic Review Study" published in Kerman University of Medical Sciences, 15 to 99.7 percent of teenagers participating in a total of 370 studies had a fear of avoiding mobile phones or not being able to use smartphones (no mobile phone phobia)  There was a problem of . 

In a survey conducted last year by the Pew Research Center among more than 1,000 students between the ages of 13 and 19, more than 48 percent of participants responded that social media often has a negative effect on users of their age. A total of 11 percent of teenagers said that social media has a positive impact on their lives. The report states that 45 percent of them spend too much time on social media and 44 percent try to reduce screen time.

Similarly, according to the 'Computers in Human Behavior Report' published in 2024, seeing too much negative information is playing a role in increasing pessimism about oneself, society and overall human existence. Based on a survey of 800 students in the US and Iran, the report found that viewing negative comments on social media can lead to anxiety, existential crisis, mistrust and anti-humanism. According to Yale School of Medicine Psychiatrist Amber Childska, depression, depression and suicide attempts are increasing at a high rate among teenagers.  

Parakram Rana, a popular content creator on social media, says that although the online space is a great opportunity for him, it also has its challenges. "I put my opinion online but not everyone likes my opinion," he says, "I also get a lot of hate comments on my posts." The topic is misinterpreted, trolled. In the beginning, I was very affected by such reactions, my head hurt, but now I stopped caring.' 

Video Sharing Platform, TikTok's Digital Safety Ambassador, Parakram's experience shows that social media platforms are extremely effective means for freedom of expression, monetization and publicity. However, when users do not know how to be disciplined on such platforms and people with a criminal mindset misuse them, problems arise. "We have been seeing that school-going children are the ones who try to go viral. If someone tells them something, they lose confidence," he said, adding, "Social media is not the right place for children." It should be banned for children up to a limited age.' 

Parakram said that when posting on social networks, he made a habit of keeping content with extreme thought and moderation. "I post only thinking because I have a responsibility to the follower, I did not create content that could give a wrong meaning or encourage wrongdoing," he said, "I don't put smoking photos and videos in my posts." I will not create content that is harmful to others or addictive. I don't filter my lifestyle while doing this . Going to the club, having fun is my lifestyle, some people complain about it too . I don't care about that.' 

Mentioning that it is possible to make a living by making content creation a full-time job because of social media, Parakram also discussed the positive aspects of social media . He said that he is trying hard to reduce screen time. "The doctor told me not to look at the screen too much, my eyes are dry, but since my job is content creation, it is difficult to reduce the screen time," he said, "But, it feels bad to see my younger siblings also suffering from attention deficit disorder and depression due to excessive use of mobile phones." I wonder why children are given so much screentime!' 

Even though teenagers try to take advantage of social media, experts point out that security is necessary. Deepakraj Awasthi, the spokesperson of Cyber ​​Bureau of Nepal Police, targeting teenagers, especially online 'grooming', 'cyber bullying', 'online intimate partner violence',  It is said that cases of cyber crimes such as cheating by creating fake accounts and blackmailing have also increased recently. "Cyber ​​criminals are taking advantage of the curious and sensitive nature of teenagers," he said, "so caution is mandatory when using the network."

Just some time ago, Cyber ​​Bureau arrested 20-year-old Ayush Kunwar of Banasthali, Kathmandu, on the charge of sexually influencing and mentally influencing a minor through Snapchat. A complaint was registered at the bureau after the minor victim informed her parents about the incident. During the investigation, evidence was found that Kunwar used Snapchat to force the minor to engage in obscene activities online and screen-recorded those scenes, according to the bureau.

Ayush Kunwar's involvement has been confirmed during the technical analysis and investigation in the said case, the bureau said in a statement. After the incident, he was arrested from Swayambhu and a case was registered under the Electronic Transactions Act, 2063. According to the spokesperson Awasthi, there are few complaints about such incidents of child sexual abuse. This does not mean that the incidents have decreased, but the complaints have decreased. Without reporting, the situation becomes more serious .'  

The bureau has been given access to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's cyber tipline, so the bureau also looks into the complaints registered there . He said that the police will immediately take action in cases of child sexual abuse. It is the experience of the police officers that social media platforms are also a little more cautious in such matters and facilitate the requests made by regulators including the Cyber ​​Bureau immediately. Therefore, since it is relatively easy to investigate such incidents and find the perpetrators, they also request to file a complaint with the police . If posts promoting child sexual abuse activities are seen, users themselves can report to the platform . 

Tiktok, a popular video sharing platform among teenagers, recently launched a Family Pairing feature to help parents manage their children's or teens' online experience. This includes user reporting options to set a daily time limit for children on Tiktok, filter content and keywords and prevent harmful content, the company said. The company claims that parents can use these available tools to create a balanced and safe online environment for their teenage children while minimizing negative effects such as doomscrolling. 

According to a study report published by Voice of Children last year on sexual abuse of children online, most of the children in Nepal who have access to the Internet have been abused. 38.60 percent of the girls who participated in the survey said that they had received seductive (obscene) calls or chats, while 34 percent had received nude photos. Similarly, 13.60 percent of teenage girls were requested to share seductive photos, links, videos or emojis.