We came across a few profiles of teenagers on Twitter discussing how gang-rape had been normalised by some South Delhi school girls and boys on an online group. On checking the profiles further, we came to know that all these teenagers who don’t go by their real names on social media and have several ALT IDs to hide their identities on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat etc. are part of murky sex chat groups where they discuss sex fantasies, share nude pics of themselves and morphed pics of other teenagers and objectify them. What shocked us more was a certain Snapchat screenshot which shows a certain boy boasting and threatening to gang-rape a girl. We posted the screenshot keeping in mind the privacy of all the teenagers involved and urged the police to look into the matter legally.

Later, our report was picked up by all other media houses and reached the right ears of the authorities. The DCW wrote to Delhi Police and Instagram to look into the matter and investigate the authenticity of the chats and later, Delhi Police also apprehended one teenager in the case. Bois Locker Room Instagram Chat Leaks & Worrying 'Gang Rape Comments' by Delhi Teenage Boys Is a Grim Reminder of Mumbai IB School Students Talking About 'Raping' Classmate.

But the murky chat screenshots keep tumbling like a pack of cards which are far more worrying and show the mindset of these teenagers who have normalised objectifying of the opposite sex, sharing nudes with under-aged friends on social media including WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat etc. There are special groups to do the same. There are several groups like Bois Locker Room, and then there is Girls Locker Room as well discussing and sharing nudes and sexual fantasies, objectifying underage boys and girls.

Below is the screenshot of one of the similar ‘Girls Locker Room’ kind of groups from Instagram going viral on Twitter –

The Snapchat screenshot which triggered our article is also claimed to be a couple of months old and is claimed to have been leaked now only to malign the other person who was already punished, as has been pointed out by some girls of the same group.

This rape threat Snapchat screenshot has definitely and rightly opened the Pandora box of dark truths about where teenagers are headed with the ALT IDs, hiding their real identities behind fake usernames and revealing trash thoughts. This can be a part of ‘revenge porn’ from the girl or group of girls but there is a very thin line between sexually objectifying any girl or boy to expressing the thoughts or threat to rape and to finally becoming a rapist. It is time to analyse for all the parents, teachers and authorities to study this behaviour and mindset. They cannot leave these teenagers with such dark thoughts chatting endlessly, sexually objectifying other teenagers on these apps, switching on their night modes.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 05, 2020 04:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).