Becca Stock, a popular Gloucestershire-based TikTok food reviewer, reveals the toll of online hostility amid new research suggesting digital platforms foster a ‘perfect storm’ for hostile behaviour, raising concerns over young people’s wellbeing.
Becca Stock, a Gloucestershire food reviewer with millions of followers on TikTok, has described the toll of online abuse after trolls urged her to take her own life. She said some of the hostility comes from people who are “bored” or “jealous”, but added they remain a minority among her audience.
Her comments come amid new research from the University of Gloucestershire into what fuels digital abuse. The work, led by Dr Amy Grubb, suggests that posting behind a screen can create a “perfect storm” for hostile behaviour because online spaces weaken the normal social restraints that usually shape how people speak to one another.
Grubb, an associate professor of forensic psychology at the university, has argued that the design of digital platforms can lower inhibitions and make cruelty easier to express. The discussion also reflects wider concern from mental health charities, which say online harm is increasingly affecting the wellbeing of young people and adding to pressure already faced on social media.
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