A kid’s response to spam messages | Dana Mneimne | TEDxYouth@WellspringLC

What happens when kids receive spam messages on their mobile phones? This 11-year-old shares her experience with spam messages, concluding with a plea to other youth to stop creating and spreading them.

Dana is a young storyteller and a student at Wellspring Learning Community.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

It was dark Saturday night,

when I was alone

and I was eating my Nescafé cheesecake
- that's the best part of my story -

and my parents were out.

Then comes a message on my phone,
and it made the sound "ding".

I opened it and found out
it was talking about a hunter

who goes inside your room and kills you

if you don't send this message
to twenty contacts.

I got so scared, so I did as they said.

Except I forgot and only sent it to ten.

So, when my parents came back,

I told my father to come
and check if I was still there.

So, at night, when I was trying
to go to sleep,

I felt someone go inside my room.

I thought that would be my father,

except I noticed
the creature had long hair.

I thought, "My father does not
have long hair."

It came, it took me by the neck,
I jumped up to scream.

Then I noticed it was just my sister.

(Laughter)

I think you're all wondering
why she took me by the neck.

Well, it's her way of loving me.

(Laughter)

Another time, I got another message
which was telling me to go check

"Charlie Charlie
are you here?" on YouTube.

So I did.

I found that it was talking
about an Indian ghost

who has all those devils on his side,

and if you played the game,
and you weren't polite to Charlie,

he'll go inside your room and kill you.

So I played the game,
and tried to be polite to Charlie,

but I wasn't very sure.

So, again, I told my father
to come and check if I was okay.

So, when I woke up, I was still alive.

A third time, I got another message.

But this one actually made me
happy and excited, not sad and frustrated.

It was talking about wishes.

You got to wish any what you want,

but only you have to send it
to ten contacts.

And within an hour,
your wish will come true.

I did as they said, and I waited -
first hour - second hour - third hour -

I'm bored, I give up.

I got so fed up of those messages,
and I wanted to do something.

I was thinking so much.

Then, it come to me, I know what to do.

I could make my own message.

I made my own message,
I was also talking about wishes,

but instead of only sending it to ten,
you had to send it to 105 contacts.

I sent it to one of my friends,

and she was like,
"I don't have 105 contacts -

I don't have 105 contacts!"

Then I told her I made this one.

So we both agreed
to stop creating those messages.

For me to sleep better,
and for you to sleep better,

let's all stop creating those messages.

Thank you.

(Applause) (Cheers)