In The Know: Mugshotting
Mugging or mugshotting is a type of behaviour where someone deliberately captures and shares an image or video of another person looking awkward, upset, or caught off-guard. These images may be edited to highlight an individual’s physical features. This often happens in group settings (like the playground, classroom, or sports field) where peers record without consent and then spread the content on social media for entertainment.
What's the harm?
Mugging can have a serious impact on young people and the community:
- Embarrassment and shame – Being filmed in a humiliating moment can cause deep distress.
- Bullying and pile-ons – Videos and memes can quickly spread, leading to teasing, harassment, and group and in-person bullying.
- Reputation damage – Once shared, mugging content can be screenshotted and circulated widely, often resurfacing later.
- Peer pressure – Students may feel forced to participate as bystanders, recorders, or sharers.
- Unsafe boundaries – Recording without consent crosses personal boundaries and can harm trust between peers.
- Lasting impact – Digital content is difficult to remove and can affect confidence and wellbeing long after the incident.
Quick plan if your child is targeted
- Stay calm, listen, and avoid taking devices away
- Work together to save evidence (screenshots, usernames, links)
- Use in-app tools to report and block, and review privacy settings
- Tell the school if students or staff are involved
- Contact Netsafe for advice on next steps
What your child can do to reduce the harm of mugging
When young people watch, share, or laugh at mugging content, they add to the harm. Instead, they can be part of the solution:
- Don’t engage: Don’t like, share, or comment on mugging videos
- Speak up: If safe, discourage peers from filming or ask for harmful content to be removed
- Support others: Offer quiet support to the person targeted.
- Report: Use in-app tools, tell a trusted adult, and contact Netsafe for advice.
What can parents and whānau do?
Chat regularly with your child about what’s happening online and offline. Ask what they’re enjoying, what’s worrying them, and how their friendships are going. Relaxed, ongoing conversations build trust so young people come to you when something goes wrong online.
A helpful approach for these conversations
- Stay calm and curious; avoid jumping to conclusions
- Listen first, before giving advice
- Focus on understanding their experience
- Keep the conversation open, not one-off
Conversation Starters
- “Have you seen people being filmed without knowing, like in a mugging video? What happened?”
- “Have you ever seen videos where someone’s filmed without knowing, like when they’re caught off guard?”
- “What makes people share those? Do you think everyone finds it funny?”
- “How do you think it feels to see yourself posted like that?”
- “Would it feel different if it was a friend? Or you?”
- “How would you feel if someone shared a photo of you in a bad moment?”
- “What could you do if you saw classmates filming someone without consent?”
- “What do you think counts as okay to film or share and what doesn’t?”
- “How would you want someone to check with you first?”
- “If you saw someone being filmed like that, what could you do? Ignore it, say something, check in with them?”
- “Who would you talk to if this happened to you – me, a teacher, or someone else?”
- “Shall we look at your privacy settings together and make a plan for reporting and blocking?”
Let your child know that if anything like this ever involved them or their friends, you are there for them and can help them get support.
What else can help
These tips can help protect your child's digital footprint and reduce the risk of harm.
Let them know that joining in, even as a joke, can leave a permanent record of hurtful comments tied to their name.
They should avoid sharing or posting photos that could be used without their consent in mugging posts.
Talk about the importance of asking for consent before sharing an image of someone else online.
Help them to reflect and realise that what feels like fun now can follow
them later. Screenshots of their words or ratings can resurface.
Download this advice as a one-pager
Netsafe support for schools
Netsafe provides free harm prevention education tools for schools and kura, funded by the Ministry of Education.
Let your child's school know that they can visit The Kete (https://education.netsafe.org.nz) and register with a school email address, to access a range of resources and on-demand materials to support staff and students.
