Back to School in Benin: The Viral Anti-Harassment Exercise on TikTok to Try with Your Child

A few days before the start of the school year in Benin, a role-playing exercise is gaining visibility on TikTok: parents imagine situations of mockery or bullying with their children and have them practice short, calm, and assertive responses. The format, presented on September 8, 2026, as a viral parenting trend by the Australian press, focuses less on the “perfect punchline” and more on preparing for a destabilizing situation.

The timing is particularly significant in Benin, where the pre-term takes place from September 7 to 11 and where students officially resume classes on Monday, September 14, 2026. For families, the trend can become a useful pretext to discuss harassment before the return to school, without waiting for an incident to occur.

The idea of rehearsing possible reactions in advance is not absurd. UNICEF advises parents to listen to their child calmly, to think through scenarios that have frustrated them, and to imagine constructive and non-harmful responses. The organization also recommends working with the school when a child is being bullied.

But the exercise has a significant limitation: it should not lead to the belief that a child must handle a repeated, humiliating, threatening, or violent situation alone. The American public portal StopBullying.gov specifically recommends not asking the child to systematically ignore bullying and not encouraging them to fight physically.

How to Turn the TikTok Trend into a Useful Exercise

The simplest approach is to act out a few very short scenes at home, during a quiet moment. A parent can make a fictitious unpleasant remark, then let the child try several responses. The goal is not to teach them to humiliate the other person, but to set a boundary, exit the situation, and ask for help if necessary.

Five simple formulations can serve as a starting point:

1. “I do not accept you speaking to me like that.” A clear sentence, without any insult in return.
2. “Stop.” Short and direct, especially if the child feels safe enough to say it.
3. “I am going to join my friends or an adult.” The exercise must also teach how to leave the scene.
4. “What you say does not determine my worth.” A way to avoid turning mockery into self-judgment.
5. “I am going to talk to an adult.” Asking for help is not a weakness and must remain a central option.

Each child reacts differently. Some will be comfortable with a direct sentence, while others will prefer to walk away. It is therefore more useful to prepare two or three options suited to their temperament rather than imposing a phrase supposed to work in all situations.

What is best to avoid

The search for the funniest or most cutting retort can easily shift the problem. A humiliating response can fuel escalation, especially in front of other students or on social media. Viral videos sometimes give the impression that a quick comeback is enough to regain control; in real life, a power dynamic can be more complex.

It is also better to avoid testing a child in front of the camera without them understanding the purpose of the exercise. A private discussion allows more room for their emotions and questions. If the child reports that a situation has already begun, the priority becomes listening, gathering useful facts, and contacting the school.

For cyberbullying, the same support measures apply, with the addition of preserving useful evidence, blocking or reporting accounts when appropriate, and guiding the child in their digital activities. UNICEF reminds that online comments can have very real effects and that parents benefit from knowing the platforms their children use.

The right objective: to prepare, not to hold the child responsible in place of adults

Rehearsing at home can help a child find their words more quickly, but it does not replace the vigilance of adults or the school’s procedures. If the incidents are repeated, accompanied by threats, violence, isolation, or severe distress, the child must be able to quickly rely on a parent, a teacher, a school official, or a qualified professional.

As the new school year approaches, this viral exercise can be useful if it serves to open the conversation: which situations would make the child uncomfortable, whom would they ask for help, and which phrases would feel natural to them? The best preparation is not the perfect response, but the certainty of not having to face a bullying situation alone.