Police warn parents about Snapchat trend in which teens get beat up
Police in Lansingerland near Rotterdam are warning about a social media-driven trend known as “jumpen,” in which teenagers are randomly assaulted and the attacks are filmed and shared online, authorities reported. The warning follows incidents in which schoolchildren were targeted without warning, sometimes while traveling to school or near sports facilities.
The police in Lansingerland confirmed that a warning letter distributed last week to parents and young people about the phenomenon was officially issued by the police. The warning letter was distributed by community police officers through schools, sports clubs, and social media because of the seriousness of the reports.
Police say the attacks typically involve teenagers in Snapchat group chats selecting another youth to be targeted. Victims can suddenly be hit or have their hair pulled, while others film the incident and circulate the footage in group chats or on other social media platforms.
“There are children being pointed out to receive blows out of nowhere or to have their hair pulled,” a spokesperson for Rotterdam police told RTL. “That can have an enormous impact.” Police also said some children remain in the group chats even if they oppose the behavior. Officers reported hearing during conversations that some youths are afraid to leave the chats “out of fear of also being ‘jumped.’”
Local resident Sas Steysiger, a mother of three boys ages 11 to 17, said she received the letter last Friday and was alarmed. “I thought I was a mother who was no longer surprised by anything. And yet I was shocked,” she told RTL. Steysiger said she asked her sons about the trend. The two oldest had already heard about it or seen it on friends’ phones, though they were not in the Snapchat groups themselves.
“One of my sons did say that it is being said, 'Those children who become victims must really have done something wrong, right Mom,'" she said. Police, however, say children in the Snapchat groups are sometimes randomly selected.
Daniel Trottier, an associate professor of media and communication at Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, said the fear of becoming a target can help such trends spread.
“It often has to do with seeking attention, especially when they film and share the footage,” Trottier told RTL. “Another factor is identity and belonging: the desire to be part of a group. Sometimes they do that by hurting each other or by hurting people who are not part of the group.”
Trottier said the behavior itself is not new, even if the term “jumpen” is. He compared it to earlier phenomena such as the “Knockout Game” in the United States and “Happy Slapping” in the United Kingdom, where random assaults are recorded and shared online.
“Boys’ pranks have always existed, but now — and that has been the case for several years — they become videos that take on a life of their own,” he told the newspaper. “They end up on global platforms such as Facebook but also on local platforms such as Dumpert. Especially in a local Dutch context that can resonate strongly.”
Police warned that further action could follow if the trend continues. A police spokesperson said that officers could begin making home visits and that criminal investigations would start if official complaints were filed.
“Whoever recognizes signals or is worried can discuss this with the school,” police said. “Together we can intervene as early as possible and prevent situations from escalating.”
