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What is Slender Man? A Guide for Parents

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What is the Slender Man?

  • The Slender Man is a fictional character who originated from a viral internet meme and has made an impact on pop culture
  • Creepypasta.wikia.com is a website that is home to user-generated horror legends or images that have been copy and pasted around the internet
  • The character started as a challenge on a web forum. Users were challenged to photoshop everyday photos to appear paranormal
  • Within 2 years, the character had become so popular that the creator couldn’t believe how widespread it had become
  • The character is portrayed as a tall, thin, and faceless man in a black suit
  • He goes around traumatizing people, targeting children
  • There is a symbol associated with the character that is heavily used in his depictions
  • Since the Slender Man isn’t tied to a specific narrative, he can be seen depicted in several video games (like Minecraft and the Slender Man app on iOS) and movies
  • He can look different depending on the storyteller but he is usually seen in a forest and has long tentacle arms
  • In most stories, the Slender Man usually has the ability to teleport and children who are targeted by him are driven insane or act on his behalf
  • The motive of the Slender Man is usually mysterious and vague. He can either protect certain children like a guardian angel or attack them

Why should parents care about Slender Man?

  • Although he is fictitious, the Slender Man can be very influential
  • In 2014, two tween girls stabbed a classmate and claimed it was in an attempt to act on behalf of the Slender Man after reading about him online. The girls were tried and convicted as adults
  • In 2014, a mother reported that her teenage daughter attacked her with a knife and the Slender Man motivated the attack
  • A few years ago, police reported that a teen had lit their family’s house on fire while their family was inside in connection with the Slender Man
  • Slender Man is so popular that it has become a common Halloween costume
  • According to the HBO documentary “Beware the Slenderman”, most American kids know about the Slender Man
  • There is a horror movie coming out in 2018 about the Slender Man which will increase his popularity

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Sharon M.

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Josh's presentation about social media was unbelievably fantastic. Our students learned so much about what kids should and shouldn't be doing. The fact that it is such a thoughtful process made it all worthwhile.

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Director of College Advising

Educator Webinar Attendee

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Educator Webinar Attendee

What is Slender Man? A Guide for Parents

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The Slender Man is a fictional character who originated from a viral internet meme and encourages students to do dangerous things.

What is the Slender Man?

  • The Slender Man is a fictional character who originated from a viral internet meme and has made an impact on pop culture
  • Creepypasta.wikia.com is a website that is home to user-generated horror legends or images that have been copy and pasted around the internet
  • The character started as a challenge on a web forum. Users were challenged to photoshop everyday photos to appear paranormal
  • Within 2 years, the character had become so popular that the creator couldn’t believe how widespread it had become
  • The character is portrayed as a tall, thin, and faceless man in a black suit
  • He goes around traumatizing people, targeting children
  • There is a symbol associated with the character that is heavily used in his depictions
  • Since the Slender Man isn’t tied to a specific narrative, he can be seen depicted in several video games (like Minecraft and the Slender Man app on iOS) and movies
  • He can look different depending on the storyteller but he is usually seen in a forest and has long tentacle arms
  • In most stories, the Slender Man usually has the ability to teleport and children who are targeted by him are driven insane or act on his behalf
  • The motive of the Slender Man is usually mysterious and vague. He can either protect certain children like a guardian angel or attack them

The Slender Man in the news

Two girls allegedly stabbed their classmate 19 times in what investigators described as a sacrifice intended to please Slenderman, which they had discovered on a horror story website. –CBS News
[The teen who stabbed a classmate] told police she first encountered Slender Man as a secondary character in a Minecraft video. –NY Mag
For whatever reason, Slender Man does seem to have resonated particularly among teenagers; perhaps that’s the demographic most susceptible to scary stories, or perhaps they’re the people frequenting sites like Creepypasta most often. –Washington Post

Why should parents care about Slender Man?

  • Although he is fictitious, the Slender Man can be very influential
  • In 2014, two tween girls stabbed a classmate and claimed it was in an attempt to act on behalf of the Slender Man after reading about him online. The girls were tried and convicted as adults
  • In 2014, a mother reported that her teenage daughter attacked her with a knife and the Slender Man motivated the attack
  • A few years ago, police reported that a teen had lit their family’s house on fire while their family was inside in connection with the Slender Man
  • Slender Man is so popular that it has become a common Halloween costume
  • According to the HBO documentary “Beware the Slenderman”, most American kids know about the Slender Man
  • There is a horror movie coming out in 2018 about the Slender Man which will increase his popularity

What can parents do about Slender Man?

  • Talk to your children about the Slender Man and ask them whether or not they know about him. Ensure that your children know that he is not real
  • Teach your students about urban legends and how to decipher what is fake from what is real
  • If your student talks about the Slender Man, consider discussing the issue with your school. Chances are if your student is aware of the character, other students are too and having a strategy in place can prevent an incident from occurring
  • Ensure that your children know that they can always come to you or a trusted adult if they have questions or want to talk
  • Learn about viral trends so that you can stay one step ahead of your teen

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Become a member or login to learn more on this topic

Superintendents, Directors and Principals: Request a partnership on this page to unlock our resources for your whole community.

What is the Slender Man?

  • The Slender Man is a fictional character who originated from a viral internet meme and has made an impact on pop culture
  • Creepypasta.wikia.com is a website that is home to user-generated horror legends or images that have been copy and pasted around the internet
  • The character started as a challenge on a web forum. Users were challenged to photoshop everyday photos to appear paranormal
  • Within 2 years, the character had become so popular that the creator couldn’t believe how widespread it had become
  • The character is portrayed as a tall, thin, and faceless man in a black suit
  • He goes around traumatizing people, targeting children
  • There is a symbol associated with the character that is heavily used in his depictions
  • Since the Slender Man isn’t tied to a specific narrative, he can be seen depicted in several video games (like Minecraft and the Slender Man app on iOS) and movies
  • He can look different depending on the storyteller but he is usually seen in a forest and has long tentacle arms
  • In most stories, the Slender Man usually has the ability to teleport and children who are targeted by him are driven insane or act on his behalf
  • The motive of the Slender Man is usually mysterious and vague. He can either protect certain children like a guardian angel or attack them

Why should parents care about Slender Man?

  • Although he is fictitious, the Slender Man can be very influential
  • In 2014, two tween girls stabbed a classmate and claimed it was in an attempt to act on behalf of the Slender Man after reading about him online. The girls were tried and convicted as adults
  • In 2014, a mother reported that her teenage daughter attacked her with a knife and the Slender Man motivated the attack
  • A few years ago, police reported that a teen had lit their family’s house on fire while their family was inside in connection with the Slender Man
  • Slender Man is so popular that it has become a common Halloween costume
  • According to the HBO documentary “Beware the Slenderman”, most American kids know about the Slender Man
  • There is a horror movie coming out in 2018 about the Slender Man which will increase his popularity

Login or join the VIP membership today to view all resources about Slender Man!

Become a member or log in to learn more on this topic

Superintendents, Directors and Principals: Request a partnership on this page to unlock our resources for your whole community.
Quotation marks

This is great info, thanks for giving me some ideas on how to start a dialogue with my teen!

StarStarStarStarStar

Sharon M.

Parent VIP Member

Quotation marks

Josh's presentation about social media was unbelievably fantastic. Our students learned so much about what kids should and shouldn't be doing. The fact that it is such a thoughtful process made it all worthwhile.

StarStarStarStarStar

Director of College Advising

Educator Webinar Attendee

Quotation marks

This webinar is a very helpful eye-opener on the apps that are popular with my students.

StarStarStarStarStar

Irene C.

Educator Webinar Attendee

Learn more

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

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