East Elgin Secondary School students concerned about cyberbullying account

Two students at East Elgin Secondary School said that an Instagram account is bullying students at their school. They asked to remain anonymous out of fear they may be the bully's next target.

“There's allegations about sexual assault, physical assault, there's some things said about teachers, there's a lot about calling people slurs and assuming people's gender identity which is another thing that is not okay," said one student, describing the account’s posts.

The duo said it's taking a toll on the mental health of students.

“My first period teacher said that he had someone break down in his class and cry because of the account,” said one.

“I saw other people crying over things in class and in the bathroom and stuff," the other added.

Kaitlynn Mendes is a Western University professor who specializes in young people, social media, and mental harms. She said cyberbullying is becoming more prevalent in schools.

“Social media makes it so much easier for bullying not just to happen on school grounds, but outside of school grounds as well. Previously, it could be the end of the day and you could go home, walk away,” Mendes told CTV News.

“That's not the case anymore. Anyone can bully or harass you anytime of the day from anywhere. It can be really difficult to escape, especially because social media are the tools young people use to connect with one another,” she explained.

The account has been reported to the school and police — but neither has the power to shut it down. Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) said it's aware of the issue and claims to be doing everything within its power to counter-act the harmful account.

In an email to CTV News, the board said a positive Instagram account has been created by students and staff and mental health supports are available at the school level for those affected.

In the meantime, parents are able to submit an anonymous report through the board's website.

TVDSB said it reported the account — and encourages others to do so until Meta removes it.

Until then, the students say they worry the account is causing psychological trauma.

“I had to go hug someone the other day because she was like, makeup all running, bawling in the bathroom because she was the girl who got mentioned about self harm."