A slang phrase, lala bop, is making its rounds in the teen domain, and it has certain parts of social media disgusted.
Titania Jordan took to TikTok to warn mothers that the phrase “has been around since 2022 and is a hurtful slur that is mainly used against girls.
She claims that it gained traction after a song was released in the same year and has since been used to “video shame” and bully people in cyberspace.
The phrase, when used against girls, is a painful insult
Image credits: Tiktok / titaniajordan
In her video, Jordan, who is also the Chief Parenting Officer for Bark Technologies, a company selling internet safety products, noted that “lala bop has also evolved to be a more general video call-out for any sort of ill-favored behavior.”
Jordan indicated that “lala bops” were used extensively in cyberbullying. When applied to females, it usually suggests they have a high body count or “hooked up” with many people.
She stressed that, as is usually the case with rumors, the accusation is not always with merit.
@titaniajordan Trend warning: Lala Bop. 🚨 What is it? Video bullying meant to shame/call out others for behavior they might not be proud of. What to do: If your child is the target of lala bop bullying, report the content to the platform(s) where it’s posted. Make sure your child knows how to do this as it can be very empowering. Let them know you love them unconditionally, this storm will pass, and talk through the other options you have available to you, including anonymously reporting the behavior to school authorities. If you discover that your child is bullying others (most likely news you’ll receive from another parent or a teacher), the most important thing to do is sit down and communicate. Listen to your child’s side of the story and see how they react. Stress that you love them, but that their bullying behavior will have to change. Some kids may be able to articulate why they act in certain ways (to fit in, for example). Younger kids, on the other hand, may not know why they do the things they do. It’s important to emphasize that you love them and want to help them be a better friend. Parenting in a tech world is not easy. Let me know what you’re struggling with and I’ll do my best to help. ❤️ Thanks to @Parents for covering this timely topic! Hesd to their profile to read the full article. #parenting #parentingtips #themoreyouknow #bekind ♬ original sound – TitaniaJordan
Jordan cautioned parents in the caption: “If your child is the target of lala bop bullying, report the content to the platform(s) where it’s hosted.
She also addressed parents of kids doing bullying, saying that they (the parents) are likely to only become aware of their offspring’s behavior through complaints from other parents or teachers.
“The most important thing to do is sit down and communicate,” she wrote.
Some millennials say it was a joke back in their day
Image credits: Freepik
According to one of Jordan’s followers, the expression is not new. “I’ve heard [people] say this in high school. I’m a millennial.
“We said it as a joke and now kids are getting affected by it,” they said, hinting at a perceived toughness in Gen Y.
Someone else, who fell victim to the slur, wrote, “I was a victim to this and I [did] nothing about it.”
Another user claimed nearly all of the “lala bops” making it onto TikTok were fake, while another saw potential in the slur as a whistleblowing mechanism.
Image credits: Linkedin / Titania Jordan
“Lala bops should be used for exposing actual bad people,” they wrote.
Jordan is not the first to speak on the word’s meaning.
Social media is at odds with the “new” meaning of the word
The South African with the handle, Niccamassynxx, was just as distraught at discovering that the word did not mean “baddie on point” or something from High School Musical.
@niccamassynxxor maybe auto BOPS roll out ??🚗🚗♬ original sound – niccamassynxx
She called the culprits “nasty,” but refrained from repeating what she had discovered.
Commenters on her thread became frustrated. One user wrote, “I am tired of having to Google after every TikTok. “
Another complained they were too old to learn the new slang and, for that reason, they preferred the older meaning, which refers to dancing and music.
Titok has since banned the search term “lala bop,” but only in certain domains
Image credits: Instagram / niccamassynxx
According to a 2023 report by Today, parents have since become aware of the phrase and sparked discussions. Searches for the term now produce “no result” in certain domains and a content warning.
On TikTok, the search will produce a message that says, “This phrase may be associated with behavior or content that violates our guidelines.”
Followed by: “TikTok’s top priority is promoting a safe and positive experience. For more information, we invite you to review our Community Guidelines.”
Image credits: Unsplash / Berke Citak
The trend has also made its rounds on X, which postures itself as a champion for free speech.
Searching for the term on this platform still produces results.
The song that fueled the trend has not found a broad appeal
The song that triggered the trend was first released in 2021, is slightly over two minutes long, and contains adult themes.
Image credits: Pexels / Ron Lach
The artist, so-named Almighty Rexxo, boasts about his s*xual exploits, chanting “lala bop everywhere I go.”
The number of views on Spotify (just under 11,000) and YouTube (under 7,000) over four years hints at a niche-specific popularity.
The actual sound track heard on the defamatory was released two years later in 2023 by Ymb Nuski. The music video consists of an all female cast, all of whom appear to be in their teens.
“‘Bop’ was never funny,” says the internet
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