u/Axxtr

​I manage a fan/support page on Instagram. It’s a positive, wholesome space.

​Recently, we received a barrage of direct messages from a specific account. The messages were incredibly toxic—full of heavy swearing, insults, and relentless cyberbullying directed at me (the page manager) and the page itself.

​Instead of engaging, arguing, or dropping down to his level, I simply reported the messages and the account to Instagram for bullying and harassment.

​Within just 3 minutes of reporting, I got a notification from Instagram thanking me for the report and stating that they removed the account for violating Community Guidelines. Out of curiosity, I checked what kind of ban this person got. It turns out, his account is completely nuked. He received the ultimate ban screen: "Your account or activity on it doesn't follow our community guidelines. You cannot request another review of this action. Log out."

​Here is where I am feeling a bit conflicted. Based on the profile and the way he typed, we think the person whose account got banned is around 12 years old. I know kids at this age test boundaries and do stupid things without realizing the consequences. If he or his parents were to reach out to me right now with a sincere apology, I would honestly feel sad for him. But the reality of digital rules is cold: even if I forgave him and wanted to withdraw my complaint, I can't. That account is gone forever, along with his photos, messages, and followers. There is absolutely no coming back from that screen.

​Some part of me feels like this is a massive, permanent punishment for a kid making a mistake. But another part of me feels like this is the exact "fuck around and find out" natural consequence he needed to experience to learn that the internet isn't a lawless place.

​AITB? Was reporting him the right move, knowing how ruthless and incredibly fast (literally 3 minutes) the automated ban system can be, or should I have just blocked him and moved on without permanently destroying his digital footprint?

​TL;DR: A kid (who we think is around 12 years old) relentlessly swore at and bullied a page I manage. I reported him, and in just 3 minutes, Instagram permanently deleted his account with no chance of appeal. I feel a bit guilty knowing it's irreversible, even if he regrets it.

I know this might sound strange, but I’ve noticed something consistent in myself.

Whenever I see a full moon (or very close to full), I immediately feel a kind of physical uneasiness. It’s not really a thought-based anxiety, more like a body reaction: slight tension, restlessness, and a “something feels off” sensation.

It happens very fast, almost the moment I notice it, even before I start thinking about it.

On nights like this, I also experience insomnia (like I’m experiencing right now), where I just can’t properly fall asleep even though I feel tired.

I’m curious if anyone else experiences something similar, or if this is just a personal conditioned response.

Hello, I’m from Türkiye and I recently graduated in English Language Teaching. I just learned about the Pledge of Allegiance in US schools and watched classroom videos.

I find it uncomfortable, especially the “under God” part. From a pedagogical perspective, I also consider the practice of having children regularly recite a loyalty pledge to the state or flag as not developmentally appropriate and educationally problematic.

We had a similar practice in Turkey (“Andımız”), which was later removed, and I opposed it for the same reasons.

I’m genuinely curious: how is this practice perceived today by students, parents, and teachers in the US?

I am not talking about cosmetics or optional stuff. I mean a game that literally stops you every few minutes unless you wait for energy or keep paying over and over again just to continue the STORY. And before anyone says “just pay for it,” that is the problem. There is no normal way to pay for it. No reasonable monthly subscription, no “buy full game” option, nothing. If you actually try to play normally, it feels like the game expects constant payments every 20-30 minutes.

At some point it stops feeling like a game and starts feeling like a psychological experiment designed to see how much frustration people will tolerate before opening their wallet.

I normally hate piracy and I do think developers deserve support, but this genuinely feels less like “avoiding payment” and more like removing artificial barriers that should not exist in the first place.

So WIBTB?

I’m from Türkiye, and this situation might sound unusual to people from countries with broader free speech protections, so I want to give some context first.

In Türkiye, insulting someone can actually be a criminal offense, not just “being rude online.” Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code covers insults against a person’s honor, dignity, or reputation. There are also laws related to publicly insulting the Turkish state and institutions, such as Article 301 in some circumstances. Public threats can also be criminal offenses under Article 106.

A while ago I made a comment online supporting the government’s decision to shut down a finance company. Someone got furious and replied to me with: “F*** your mother, your sister, and your state.”

I found the comment extremely aggressive and disrespectful, especially because it targeted both my family and the state. Instead of ignoring it, I took screenshots and filed a complaint with the prosecutor’s office. I reported the person for public insult, publicly insulting the Turkish state, and public threat under Articles 125, 301, and 106.

I’m not really second-guessing what I did, but recently I found the old complaint papers again while sorting documents and it made me curious about how people from other countries would view this situation.

AITB?

Hi everyone,

I’m from Turkey and I was curious about TV watching habits in the U.S.

I still enjoy watching TV pretty regularly, usually through a satellite pay TV service. I also sometimes use an Android TV stick to watch movies or YouTube.

It made me wonder how people in America usually watch shows or channels these days.

Do most people use streaming services, cable, satellite, YouTube TV, or something else?

And how often do you watch TV in a normal week?

I’d love to hear what’s common where you live and what your own habits are.

Also, as a small thank you note, I really enjoy reading and posting on this subreddit because people here usually give fast, friendly, and surprisingly detailed answers.

I was born and raised in western Turkey and as a kid I always saw Halloween in movies and shows. It always felt like more than a holiday, like the whole atmosphere changes for a while. Costumes, decorations, neighborhood energy, everything.

So I’m really curious what it actually feels like from the inside.

What does Halloween mean to you personally? Do all families treat it the same or is it very different depending on where you grow up? Until what age do kids usually go trick or treating? And if you have any Halloween memories from childhood or now, I’d genuinely love to hear them.

I just learned this a couple months ago and I was shocked that people with no legal education are pulled from their jobs and serve in juries for very little amounts of money. So I wonder how you feel about this duty? Do you have any interesting personal stories that you'd like to share here? What do you feel when you see that mail? Some people say I trash it and nothing happens is that true?