On the Radar: ‘Rage Bait,’ Parenting Forums and the ‘Flip Camera Trend’

Oxford Dictionary Chooses “Rage Bait” as It’s Word of the Year

What? “Rage bait,” as defined by Oxford Dictionary, is “online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive. It’s typically posted in order to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular web page or social media account.”

So What? Although “rage bait” has been used colloquially since 2002, it was chosen as Oxford’s Word of the Year to highlight the shift in how we (as a culture) “talk about attention—both how it is given and how it is sought after—engagement and ethics online.”

Now What? For families, it may be worth considering how you yourselves talk about attention, engagement and ethics online. Ask your teens if they can think of specific rage bait incidents and how people (including your family) responded. Ask them if they think there were better ways to respond to those instances, and how they can guard themselves from such reactionary content in the future.

Parents Seek Online Communities for Parenting Advice and Support

What? In an analysis of online parenting forums (specifically, the r/Parenting community on Reddit), Pew Research Center found that 34% of parents visit such sites at least monthly.

So What? Questions posted by parents in the Reddit community covered a wide range of topics, usually expressing negative, neutral or mixed emotions (only 5% were completely positive). However, user comments were overwhelmingly supportive: 88% of responses offered “helpful advice, responding thoughtfully to a question posed in the original post, or otherwise contributing positively to the community discussion.”

Now What? Parents should always exercise caution when posing a question to an online community: Many respondents are offering their personal opinions, not professional advice. You also don’t want to get into the habit of seeking validation from strangers. However, this study shows that the internet doesn’t have to be a toxic place—for you or your kids.

TikTok’s ‘Flip Camera Trend’ Can Actually Be Quite Mean

What? The “flip camera trend” has TikTokers asking someone to film them dancing, according to Fast Company. “Then, mid-dance, the dancer clicks the flip-camera button—and starts filming the filmer instead of themselves.”

So What? Although the videos are supposed to be “all in good fun,” many filmers-turned-filmees are less than pleased. They see it as a form of bullying, especially since most did not consent to having their reaction filmed or posted online.

Now What? Ask your child how they would feel if someone posted a reaction video of them without their knowledge or consent. Remind them that not everyone has the same feelings about being filmed or having their image shared online—and that they should always ask for permission before posting. And if they’ve already hurt (or potentially hurt) someone with this prank or something similar, encourage them to remove the video, own up to their mistake and apologize.