How would you respond – Series : Blog Post 1
We’ve all been there, that moment when a group chat suddenly turns from fun to uncomfortable. Your friends are laughing, teasing someone who isn’t there. You scroll up, hoping it’ll stop… but it doesn’t. Do you join in? Stay quiet? Or say something?
Here’s the dilemma:
Your friends are making fun of a classmate in a group chat. You don’t find it funny, but everyone else is laughing. What do you do?
Psychologists call this moment a “bystander conflict.”
Studies from the University of Nebraska found that 60% of teens witness online teasing or bullying, but only a small fraction actually speak up. Why? Because of group pressure. Our brain is wired to seek acceptance, it wants to stay in the circle, not challenge it. That’s why doing the right thing sometimes feels so hard.
Take Ashton, 14, who once faced the same moment. “I didn’t know what to say,” he recalls. “I just froze.” Later, he learned that the classmate who’d been teased stopped showing up to school. That’s when Ashton realized, doing nothing still says something.
Moments like these test self-awareness, knowing what you stand for, even when others don’t. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about pausing, thinking, and choosing your next move consciously.
So, what would you do in this situation?
Share your answer through the short form below (link provided), we’ll feature some responses in the GenWE community channels!
https://forms.gle/SENoKEDiWJ5nwZER6
Your voice might just inspire someone else to think twice before hitting “send.”