Shocking Instagram trend endangering children, teenagers

Private and revealing images of children taken from family Facebook accounts are being shared and given hateful labels in a social media trend targeting Queensland teenagers and amassing hundreds of followers.

The pictures are uploaded with out the childrens consent or even knowledge, with some photos appearing to be candid images taken during school hours.

Private images of children are being taken from family Facebook accounts and shared on Instagram alongside derogatory labels in a shocking new trend gripping at least one major regional Queensland city.

Dozens of Instagram pages have been created by an anonymous user or users, asking people in Bundaberg to “send in flops” or images to be ridiculed by the page owner and in the comments of the images themselves.

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The account names follow a particular trend, and dozens can be found simply by searching ‘Bundys biggest...’ in an Instagram search.

From there, the accounts label children and teenagers gronks, hotties, sluts, flops, boxheads, whores, scumbags, cowards and more.

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Several account bios encourage Instagram users to submit images to be included in the pages while telling users not to report the account.

“Send s--t innn. Don’t report just unfollow x,” one account says.

Many of the accounts are private, but combined have amassed a social following of hundreds of users.

Teenagers seem to be the main target for the account owners, with images of children in school uniforms, bikinis and work uniforms posted to the group.

Account users then comment on the image labelling the children “icky,” “jumpscare” and “goofy”.

Many young girls often have their bodies ridiculed by an account - one photo caption simply says “go to the gym”.

Bundaberg woman Chaunna Mackinnon was shocked to find out a young family member had been posted to one of the many groups, after a friend sent her screenshots of her family member in her work uniform posted there.

“The photo that was posted was only accessible through my mum’s private Facebook so we have no idea how that image circulated,” she said.

Just some of the cruel captions and comments from a few of dozen Instagram accounts targeting children and teens.

“I have reported every single page I found but nothing has been removed since.”

Miss Mackinnon was heartbroken to see her young family member bullied so blatantly online, and said she was sympathetic to the online world teenagers and children found themselves in today.

“I really feel for all these young teens that are having their self esteem and confidence ripped apart by these bullies,” she said.

“It’s not fair and something needs to be done about it before another child commits suicide. That’s the reality.”

Queensland Police said they had reported the accounts to Instagram, and encouraged anyone who was being harassed, bullied or threatened online to report it to police.

“Bundaberg Police take all reports involving harm to children seriously,” a QPS spokesperson said.

QPS said they were also working with their specialist Child Protection Investigation Unit detectives to build on school based police programs, offering support for at risk students and staff.

Instagram was contacted for comment but failed to respond by deadline.