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Username: whatever.

Date posted: 1y ago

The Internet & OCD

Has anybody else been exposed to harmful content online? Like, as a child, being online I came across a lot of gross, graphic content. In middle school, I remember my best friend showing me a really messed up video and we would “laugh” at it because it was so “crazy”. I look back and realize we didn’t really fully grasp what we were watching. I’m so scared for gen alpha because when I was a kid online I was seeing a lot of messed up content on twitter and other apps and I didn’t have the tools to understand what was happening. Like not too long ago back in 2020 a man committed suicide on camera and I saw so many teenagers and children asking for the link to watch the video, and then people replying back to them “you don’t actually want to watch this, don’t be stupid” & etc. I’ve also seen a lot of people from my generation (gen z) talk about how they’ve seen gore amongst other things simply being a child on the internet. My unhealthy relationship to the internet has really traumatized me and it feeds into my OCD daily. I’m super over protective of any kids who are online and I make sure to set parental locks & stuff. I’ve been online since I was like 7 and I’ve seen way too much. People would post crazy shit & be laughing at it and stuff and now that I look back I realize none of that shit was normal but I was being exposed to it so much that it kind of became just a trending “internet spectacle” amongst teenagers specifically. I wish I was being protected as a child but a lot of kids have parents who don’t give af about them and I was one of them lmfaoo and I was just being exposed to hella harmful content and thought it was normal up until I reached like 16. A lot of people still act like it’s normal. Like I’ve seen a popular ig baddie post on her story that she goes on gore websites to watch real autopsy’s (and that’s not even the worst I’ve seen people talk about). It’s really scary and I think my generation (gen z) is the first to face this generational and cultural shift in the way that children are being raised because we were the first generation of children to have 24/7 access to the internet. Anybody else relate and does it also affect your OCD?

Username: adom88adom88

Date posted: 1y ago

Before my OCD and anxiety got bad I could watch something like that and it wouldn’t linger in my mind. Now I get triggered by a lot of things I see on social media. I have two young children and I think about them possibly struggling with their mental health like I do and I just don’t wish that on them at all.

Username: whatever.whatever.

Date posted: 1y ago

@adom88 Sorry you went through the same. I’m really glad to hear that parents realize how serious this is. You’re doing a good job 👏🏽

Username: Christopher97Christopher97

Date posted: 1y ago

I’m kinda glad that I seen this. It’s one of the things that I struggle with is the morbid stuff I’ve seen on the internet

Username: User5555User5555

Date posted: 1y ago

I know i am late because you posted this before 2 weeks but please answer me I am now 14years old i had the curiosity to watch gore and i watched the video you said before now my mind is telling me to watch more gory videos and I can't relax what should i do should i watch them YT: I don't like and definitely don't want to watch gore

Username: whatever.whatever.

Date posted: 1y ago

@User5555 Part of OCD is our minds telling us we want to do things when we don’t. And sometimes, we can end up checking things over and over again as a compulsion. If you do watch those videos again (not saying you will but if you decide to watch them again as a compulsion to check anything) it’ll just make things worse for your OCD. So don’t watch them. Live your life and have fun, go outside and hang out with friends. It may seem like these videos can’t hurt you because many gore videos have been trending on the internet and it seems like a lot of people tend to watch bizarre videos for fun (which isn’t okay) but it can deeply affect your mind. I recommend opening up to a therapist about your experience. You deserve to live your life and have fun 😄

Username: User5555User5555

Date posted: 1y ago

@feelslikeionlygobackwards Thank you Very much i want to tell you and smth else to finish. I didn't watch the video my complusion says and my mind have made many scenarios about this video and when i think a place where the crime happend for example a forest.When i see a forest i remember the video and have obsessions because i know the backstory of the video and the thing that terrifies me is that i am only a click away from the video and i am afraid if i will watch it Sorry for taking your time and thank you flr tour answer

Username: whatever.whatever.

Date posted: 1y ago

@User5555 You’re welcome, I hope things get better for you

Username: User5555User5555

Date posted: 1y ago

@feelslikeionlygobackwards Hello again i am better i have forgotten this video but my OCD says me that it is going to remind me and make me want to watch it if i dont watch and it tells me i am only one click away from that.I try to cancel the thought what do u think i should do Sorry for spending your time but because you had a problem with this type of videos it really helps me

Username: whatever.whatever.

Date posted: 1y ago

To add on, Omegle is definitely one of those sites that was and still is insanely popular among literal children and teenagers and it’s become so normalized . When I was younger it was funny and exciting to go on those sites because I was a literal child/teenager and everybody my age was doing it. Now I look back & realize how I didn’t fully grasp what I was being exposed to as a child and it’s really affecting my OCD

Username: Steve-OSteve-O

Date posted: 1y ago

Me too, but it's important to remember not to be too hard on yourself. You were young back then, so cut yourself some slack and practice some self-compassion. What OCD has taught me is the hardest person to forgive can be ourselves.

Username: whatever.whatever.

Date posted: 1y ago

@sanastasiou Yeah 🥺 Thanks

Username: MamaOCD35MamaOCD35

Date posted: 1y ago

I always had a little OCD with like over thinking or couldn’t unglue from a situation when I was younger. But when I turned 20 it got bad, I couldn’t watch anything without OCD flaring up.

Username: emilyxo17emilyxo17

Date posted: 1y ago

yup me too! I came across the most horrific thing when I was 13 and the worst part was is that I thought it was fake and u couldn’t really see what was going on so I watched it twice because I was confused. But then found out it wasn’t fake. I told my mum about it and just cried bc it was so horrible. I hate social media for spreading horrible stuff like this. But pls don’t feel guilty, it’s not our fault for being curious. At least we know now to not be curious..

Username: Jay947

Date posted: 1y ago

anyone else?

i stuggled with adult content/p0rn from ages 11-18 im 19 now and i stopped but now that i have ocd my brain keeps giving me intrusive thoughts abt sexual acts like in p0rn and it's worse bc i have pocd, so they make me have really awful sexual thoughts that i don't want, anyone else here having this issue?, they all stem from p0rn it's awful. i wish i wasn't exposed to that stuff now. I regret it so bad bc it's ruined my brain and makes my ocd so much worse

POCD

Username: imgoingtobeok

Date posted: 28w ago

can watching sexual stuff trigger ocd?

this is a genuine question i have bc when i was younger and had no internet restriction me and my friend stumbled upon on it and ever since my life has kinda changed. and i feel like it’s altered my mind even though i had stopped thinking or watching it. a little girl shouldn’t have seen anything like that and that’s why i became addicted and it’s so unfair. can anyone relate?

Username: bodymindandh...

Date posted: 24w ago

OCD & The Internet

Does anyone else have real event OCD that has ties to the internet? Like assuming you'll be cancelled even though you can't remember saying anything problematic? Or, for example, I've had unsupervised access to the internet since I was a child and found myself looking at all kinds of websites, accounts, fanart, and fanfiction I wish I've never interacted with (or even scrolled past). I didn't realize as a child how inappropriate it was and now as an adult I kind of feel groomed? I also have a specific memories of coming across something sexual on a legal site I wish I never did and I feel sooo guilty of it (cursed gronial responses and all) despite feeling grossed out after looking at it. My intrusive thoughts keep telling me, "What if the government looks over your search history and exposes you?" or "What if your friends find out you've seen weird shit and stop being friends with you?" or "What if your POCD is correct and you wanted to look at that?" It's so trippy. Does anyone else fear your search history, cloud, archive, or something will come to haunt you? Even if deleted?

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The Internet & OCD

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