Kids beat up girl just for the YouTube value

Wed Apr 9, 2008 5:10PM EDT

See Comments (48)

Eight Florida teenagers are in custody for beating up a defenseless girl. Not news, no, but the reason behind it is: The kids who did the deed planned to put the video on YouTube in the hopes of becoming Internet celebrities once the video was widely seen online.

Six girls did the beating (which ended with a concussion) while two boys stood lookout. In a statement after the eight were all rounded up and arrested, one of the girls' mothers said that the victim of the attacks had "provoked" it by "threatening and insulting the girls on their MySpace pages."

The video did indeed make it to YouTube but it's since been removed. You can see snippets of it here or find it by searching YouTube, but it's largely what you're expecting.

Reaction has been pretty swift, with many naturally turning their ire not just on the teens but also on YouTube and MySpace for not policing content better. Does censorship work? Is it even possible for YouTube to vet every video that's uploaded to its site? YouTube serves some 100 million videos every day. What kind of manpower would it take to monitor all of it? And how would one distinguish between a real fight and a staged melee that's part of a (fictional) short film. (Heck, even Lonelygirl15, the YouTube darling, died in her eponymous show's last episode.) Censoring one type of content (which YouTube actually does plenty of, actually) is a slippery slope.

And really, what would be the point? If not YouTube, would the teens have posted pictures or video clips on their blogs? Or simply used another hosting service? Kids have been beating each other up for centuries, since well before YouTube came along, and they'll be doing it after it's gone, too.

Your thoughts, of course, are welcome.

POLL: Is YouTube responsible? 

Comments on Kids beat up girl just for the YouTube value

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  • 47 Posted by variouspaths on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:32PM EDT Report Abuse

    I don't think it's right to blame YouTube for their actions. As for all you of you people who have posted about the moral decay of today's youth, get off your high horses. There are tons of untold stories of teenage violence, at least in this case there was some justice to the vicitm. 15 years ago I went to school in a bad neighboorhood and I was beaten repeatedly just for being of a different race, and I didn't blame the school, I didn't blame the childrens parents or the media. I just learned to be careful who I trust. If I could share one tidbit with parents today, talk to your kids about who they trust. KNOW who their friends are, know what they are writing on the internet. Know everytime they get in a care where they are going. Stop letting your children run wild, don't blame anyone, don't make excuses. Talk to your kids.

  • 48 Posted by tigressluv on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:10PM EDT Report Abuse

    What has happened to these 'wannabe' women? It seems that they are stuck with their heads in the clouds. Catty, insecure, unfeminine, and especially useless to this planet. It's hard to imagine that such evil hands could ever tenderly tend to a baby some day. And, yes, the communications media is a free message relay system to terrorism... both in our homes and abroad. There should be a gag order on YouTube, Headline News, MySpace, CNN, etc., on airing any such content. The evil of this planet uses our massive communication network as a way of advertising their message of violence or the threat of it worldwide. And the communications media eat this up. I would sue YouTube, MySpace, and any and all news programs that covered this.

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