Shayan, A Teenager Who Experienced Cyberbullying

“Doctor says I appear effeminate because I grew up around a lot of women,” says Ahmed Shayaan, a teenager who turned to the Internet for mental health but was met with bullying instead.

Shayaan began making Tiktok videos early last year. He said explaining his intention, “I have horrible social anxiety. And I wanted to dance, for my emotional happiness.”

Shayaan said his friends at the time encouraged him to post these videos publicly, which he did. But he deleted the videos once he realized his audience was not looking for that type of content.

“Unfortunately, this one person with a fake ID had saved those videos. He had re-uploaded them to his own account, to humiliate me. He had a bigger reach in his account, too.”

The constant harassment and cyberbullying made Shayaan lock himself in his room for a week, “I was not eating properly, also. I would only go out to drink water. I also had suicidal thoughts.”

Shayaan says people bullied him because of his feminine mannerisms, over which he has no control.

“They were shaming me for who I was.”

Unfortunately, the bullying did not stay just on the Internet. He explained that he was physically beaten once on the stairs of a building by ex-friends. He was supposed to meet a friend but was cornered by several other teenagers.

This case was filed to CFPS.

While CFPS could not do anything regarding this case, Shayaan appreciates that they gave free counselling.

“In order to stop crimes like these, the state must ensure that the criminals are arrested and punished accordingly to our law. And the victims should be given institutional support so that they along with their families feel safe while the cases are ongoing and do not feel pressured to withdraw them.”

Shayaan says he doesn’t recommend making entertainment-type videos on Tiktok to anyone, especially minors. And that while some people may say it’s easy to brush off internet bullying, it doesn’t always stay online.

He says he felt isolated by his peers and community, “even the workplaces I applied to said they didn’t want to work with someone like me. And friends said they didn’t want to continue their friendship with me.”

“When I told several friends about this interview, they thought I was being too dramatic and seeking other people’s attention and fame.”

“I want to be a voice for other people who are suffering the same conditions as I am. I know I’m not the only one who goes through this. I want to work in advocacy.”

Photostories in partnership with #RiseUpMV