Chain letters in digital media
Risks and protective measures
Chain letters used to be sent by post or email. Today they are mainly on WhatsApp and other social media apps. Thanks to the simple sharing function, chain letters spread at lightning speed within digital networks.
Chain letters often appear in waves, especially at the start of school. When one chain letter loses popularity, a new one comes to the fore. Many chain letters have been around for years and used to be distributed by email.
Primary school children in particular are increasingly using WhatsApp and therefore come across various chain letters. These chain letters can contain content that children may not be able to properly assess. Chain letters are often forwarded out of caution, even if they are harmless jokes. However, sometimes they contain serious death threats, scary stories or messages that create great social pressure, for example by gauging a child's popularity.
It is crucial that both adults and children can distinguish between fun content and serious threats such as death threats, intimidation or scams. Effective education about the risks of chain letters and how to handle them correctly can help to avoid these problems.
Types of chain letters
Regardless of whether the warning is about a dangerous person, a disease or another threat, the aim of these chain letters is to spread quickly and play on the recipients' fears. Whether the claimed danger actually exists is often not questioned. Such messages are shared by people of all ages and often contain alleged appeals for donations (e.g. for blood or plasma donations), warnings about viruses or other malware.
These chain letters are often subject to seasonal fluctuations and address topics that cause fear and are currently present in the media. They are directed against certain groups or phenomena, such as "social parasites",refugees or political dissidents. Lurid images or dramatic headlines are often used, which are taken out of context or distort the actual topic.
Funny campaigns and flash mobs are particularly popular with schoolchildren. These chain letters are often spread via WhatsApp and encourage joint activities or the wearing of certain outfits. The organizershope that as many participants as possible willbe interested in their campaign and take part.
Threatening chain letters designed to create fear spread particularly quickly. Examples include statements about the death of relatives, personal danger to life or the appearance of monsters. Such messages are often amplified by videos or audio files, and sometimes similar stories can be found on YouTube or in Google searches. One well-known example is the "Slenderman" art figure, which originally began as an art project and became part of youth culture.
Clickbaiting uses lurid images and sensational headlines to entice users to click. After clicking, it often turns out that the promised content is not available and malware is often downloaded. These chain letters act as "bait" to increase the click rate.
Chain letters of this kind do not measure real popularity, but show how many people in your circle of friends are willing to go along with this "online nonsense". Such chain letters can exert considerable social pressure on children and young people in particular and should therefore be taken seriously.
Chain letters - multiplication as a goal
"Forward this message to at least 10 people": The main aim of chain letters is for the content to reach a large number of people. This is often explicitly requested and linked to threats if you do not comply. Sometimes, however, the request is less direct, as in formulations such as "Warn your acquaintances" or "If you don't want this, then pass it on". Many chain letters contain false reports or are used to measure their own popularity.
Why are chain letters sent in the first place?
There are many reasons for sending chain letters. These include
- Exerting power over others: chain letters can be used to exert influence over others or spread fear.
- Boredom: Sometimes chain letters are created and distributed out of sheer boredom or as a pastime.
- Lack of tasks: People who have no other tasks could use chain letters as a meaningful occupation.
WhatsApp chain letters are playing an increasingly important role as a "social barometer". They measure how popular someone is in their class or circle of friends based on the number of messages that are sent back.
Caution: These seemingly harmless chain letters can exert considerable social pressure on children.
Dealing with chain letters
If children contact you with a WhatsApp chain letter, it is important to take it seriously - regardless of the type of chain letter. These chain letters spread rapidly on WhatsApp and other social media platforms and can cause considerable anxiety, especially among younger children.
Here are some tips on how parents and teachers can effectively discuss the topic of chain letters with children:
Proactively address the topic of chain letters. Ask the class or family which chain letters are currently circulating and explain what chain letters are. Children are often unaware of the background and aims of such messages. Explain that the "dangers" described in chain letters are usually false reports and bear no relation to reality.
Take the children's fears seriously. If a child fears that they or someone close to them is in danger, or that they will be unpopular in class, these worries are real and significant. Even if it can be difficult to refute irrational fears with reasonable arguments, it can be helpful to share personal stories from your own childhood. All of us have received chain letters at some point and coped well with them.
Establish clear rules as to which chain letters can be forwarded and which cannot. Discuss together how to deal with chain letters. While some chain letters are harmless or even friendly, others can be threatening or inappropriate. Practice together not to forward "scary" or inappropriate chain letters so as not to spread unnecessary fear. Chain letters with inappropriate content should be deleted immediately.
Make it clear to your child that nothing bad will happen if a chain letter is not forwarded. Through regular explanation and guidance, your child can learn that the dangers threatened in chain letters are not real. This contributes to the development of a healthy critical faculty and healthy online safety.
The chain letter chatbot from Saferinternet.at
The chain letter robot helps children deal with scary and other chain letters. Instead of forwarding a chain letter on WhatsApp to their circle of friends, children can send it to the number 0681 10 809 449.