"I Can't Even Eat in the Cafeteria"... New Form of Cyberbullying Targeting U.S. Students

Secretly Filming Students Eating and Sharing on Social Media
Experts Warn: "The More Secretive the Bullying, the More Serious It Becomes"

Among American students, a new form of cyberbullying known as "lunch shaming"—secretly filming other students while they eat and sharing the footage—is spreading.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on May 30 (local time), it has become increasingly common for students in school cafeterias across the United States to film other students eating and post these videos on social networking services (SNS).

This bullying takes two main forms: one involves filming students in a comical way as they put food in their mouths or chew, while the other involves secretly recording students eating alone to mock them.

AI-generated image.

Christian Okafor (18), a senior at a high school in San Diego, California, said he was filmed 30 to 40 times while eating. He confessed, "I become overly self-conscious and feel like I have to hide when I eat." He explained that because of this bullying, he seeks out less crowded places to have his meals. Over time, he has become somewhat indifferent to it, but he still witnesses other students experiencing the same thing frequently. However, he did not report the incidents, feeling there was little the school could do to stop them.

Nihar Patel, who recently graduated from a high school in Fairfield, Ohio, also said that he stopped eating lunch in the school cafeteria after his freshman year. Although he was not a direct victim, a close friend of his was bullied. His friend was photographed by other students while taking a bite of a turkey sandwich, and the photo was uploaded to the school's Snapchat account. Patel said, "After that, my friend stopped eating at school," adding, "He was someone who was always self-conscious about his appearance and body."

Experts point out that this type of bullying goes beyond simple teasing and can affect students' mental health. Stine Kaplan Jorgensen, associate professor of social psychology at University College Copenhagen in Denmark, noted that lunch photo bullying is more than just making eating moments look silly. She also pointed out that because the photos are taken so quickly, it is difficult for school supervisors to notice what is happening, adding, "The most serious bullying is often hidden in such secretive forms."

Katherine Bradshaw, professor and senior associate dean for research at the University of Virginia, also explained, "Capturing embarrassing moments has been around for a long time, and this is now emerging in a new form." She added, "Because there are fewer staff members per student in cafeterias compared to classrooms, it is relatively hard to supervise, making cafeterias an environment where bullying can easily occur."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.