After watching Netflix’s Adolescence, I couldn’t get thirteen-year-old Jamie out of my head for a long time. Sitting in his room, the boy slips into a dark online world, and no one notices. At the time, I thought it was a story from another country. Last week, Cumilla shattered that illusion.
On Friday, thirteen-year-old Ishayat Shahriar Apratim went out with friends to take photos with his iPhone. He never returned home. The next day, his body was found in a secluded forest in the Lalmai Hills. Police say that when he resisted an attempt to snatch his phone, he was struck on the head with a bamboo.
As the investigation progresses, the picture is becoming increasingly complicated. The seventh-grader had been friends with young men several years older than him. At the center of that friendship were motorcycle rides, taking photos, and making TikTok videos. It was people he knew who lured him to the hills.
At least 20 gangs are currently active in the city of Cumilla. Their names have surfaced in at least 25 high-profile crimes this year alone. Last May, around 150 teenagers and young men staged a show of strength across the city, carrying machetes and cleavers
An investigation by Prothom Alo says that the main accused, 19-year-old Tuhin, was trying to form a teen gang. He was also trying to recruit Apratim. He would gather other teenagers, telling them they were going to make TikTok videos. Whether the gang was directly involved in the killing is still under investigation. But there is no ambiguity about the environment in which it took place.
When violence becomes “content”
At least 20 gangs are currently active in the city of Cumilla. Their names have surfaced in at least 25 high-profile crimes this year alone. Last May, around 150 teenagers and young men staged a show of strength across the city, carrying machetes and cleavers, after announcing it on social media beforehand. Members of these gangs organise themselves through TikTok videos and online groups.
Most of them carry expensive smartphones, which they use to make and post provocative videos. Police have arrested more than 250 members. But because many are minors, some are released quickly and return to the same activities.
Psychiatrist Dr. Helal Uddin Ahmed offers a clear explanation. Social media has created an environment in which teenagers seek to appear “cool” by displaying aggression. The more likes and followers they gain, the more they begin to see themselves as heroes. What was the “manosphere” in Jamie’s story is, in our context, reels showing motorcycle processions with machetes in hand. The algorithm rewards both in much the same way.
The world is moving forward
According to AFP, more than 20 countries around the world have taken steps to restrict or ban children’s use of social media.
• Australia: A ban on users under 16 took effect in December 2025.
• Malaysia: The ban on users under 16 takes effect in June.
• Indonesia: In March, it announced a ban for users under 16.
• United Kingdom: Major platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook are blocked for users under 16.
• France: A ban for users under 15 takes effect on September 1.
That is not to say that bans are without problems. In Australia, teenagers are widely finding ways to circumvent the restrictions. But without legislation, platforms have no real accountability. And where accountability exists, there is now evidence that it can be enforced. In New Mexico, USA, a court fined Meta a total of $942 million.
The court found that Meta had knowingly ignored evidence that its platforms were addictive and could contribute to depression among teenagers. Subsequently, in settlements with U.S. states, Meta agreed to pay up to $17 billion over ten years. It also promised major changes to make its platforms safer for children.
Where does Bangladesh stand?
Bangladesh is one of Meta’s largest markets, with around 72 million Facebook users. On TikTok too, Bangladesh is among the platform’s five or six largest markets worldwide. In no sense, then, is our level of risk any lower.
There are challenges, too. Children here often use their family members’ phones, so age verification based solely on SIM cards or national ID numbers would not work.
At the same time, hastily drafted laws could push children toward detention centers rather than rehabilitation. These cautions are important, but they should not become an excuse for inaction.
So my clear request to the government is this: a national policy on children’s use of social media should be formulated immediately. We already have the experiences of other countries to draw on. If child-rights advocates, teachers, parents, technology experts, and the platforms themselves are brought to the same table, it should be possible to establish a framework quickly. Every day of delay means leaving yet another child exposed to risk.
What needs to be done
1. An age limit, with platforms held responsible. There must be a clear legal age limit of 16, and the responsibility for age verification should rest with the platforms. In the United States, Meta has been required to agree to changes to its platforms to protect children. Why should our children receive less protection?
2. Rapid removal of violent content. Platforms must have Bangla-language moderation systems and comply with specific deadlines for removing videos showing weapons displays and threats.
3. End political protection. Unless political patronage of gangs is stopped, regardless of party or political affiliation, shutting down any particular app will accomplish little.
4. Early intervention, not punishment. Schools need counseling programs, and children at risk need to be identified early. For those who have already become involved, rehabilitation is needed.
5. Alternative ways to be “cool.” Children need access to sports fields, games, music, drama, and filmmaking. Simply telling them “no” is not enough, we also need to give them a meaningful “yes.”
As parents, we cannot avoid asking ourselves this question either. Giving a child a phone and knowing their inner world are not the same thing. Knowing who they spend time with, and who their “friends” are even when those friends are much older, is not surveillance; it is part of parenting.
But this responsibility does not end at home. Apratim’s death is a failure of a system, a system in which algorithms reward violence, politics provides shelter to gangs, and the state has no clear policy for protecting children online.
We were shaken after watching Adolescence. If all we do after Apratim is feel shaken again, then we should be prepared for the next name.
* Asif Saleh is Executive Director, BRAC
* The views expressed here are those of the writer
* This article appeared in Prothom Alo Online and has been translated into English by Ayesha Kabir for Prothom Alo English Online