When you heard Kristen Bell's breezy sign off, "XOXO, Gossip Girl," it was easy to forget you had been listening to teenage character's sex lives plastered all over the web. But for some teens in the U.K., Gossip Girl-style social media accounts are posting alleged details of their personal lives they'd never want to be shared.
According to the Doncaster Free Press, seven secondary (high) schools have been connected to Facebook and Instagram accounts publishing students' photos along with rumors about their sex lives. Students at least two schools have been made aware of the legal consequences that could face whoever runs the accounts. Law enforcement agencies have been informed of the accounts and are investigating.
Gossip Girl existed in a world where having your sexual history uploaded to the web was something to be shrugged off as you enjoyed your brunch. But for the victims of these IRL accounts, the rumors tied to their photos could follow them on and offline. Vicious names accompanying the photos make the accounts clear examples of cyberbullying and the posts themselves could haunt the students when they're applying to colleges or jobs. As a former student of one of the affected schools told Buzzfeed, "It's been a nightmare."
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