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Aug 10
Pranks like these are not funny
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Is the easy use of video phones making some young people come up with cruel pranks like the MTV show Jackass?

Pranks like these are not funny

 

IS THE easy use of video phones making some young people come up with cruel pranks like the MTV show Jackass?

That seems to be the case, going by two videos posted last month - one on bilingual news and interactive web portal omy.sg and another on citizen journalism website Stomp.

The one on omy.sg is entitled "School Violence" and was posted by a user with the name Ah Hua (translated from Chinese characters).

The 25-second video shows a male student being dangled over a parapet by his schoolmates.

At one point, only one of his limbs is being held by his schoolmates.

The video on Stomp, posted on July 9, shows one student hitting his classmate viciously with a broom at least six times.

 

Click on thumbnails to view media.

Psychologist Daniel Koh has noticed this worrying trend of silly, dangerous pranks among young people.

Could our young be trying to copy the show Jackass, where youth revel in doing silly, sometimes painful, stunts to themselves and others while being filmed.

"Teenagers are trying to get themselves seen online. Armed with their technological gadgets, it's so easy to do so. They get so caught up with this that they don't care about their safety sometimes," said Mr Koh, 38, from Insights Mind Centre. "They are really playing it up for the camera. It's thoughtless, sad, and cruel."

Readers' Comments
Nowadays, parents are so protective over their children in school. It gives the school almost no power at all, making the students 'in charge' so they are not afraid to do these things. Don't blame the school, blame the parents.

Raheel

Posted by Posted on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 at 20:12 PM

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