Monsoon rain, a winding mountain trail and three schoolgirls walking beneath brightly coloured raincoats—a quiet moment from rural Rolpa has, in recent days, crossed borders and captured widespread attention on social media.

In the widely shared video, the girls walk along a muddy hillside path with schoolbags on their shoulders as rain falls around them. From behind the camera, the person filming repeatedly calls out, “Hello friends...” But the children appear unaware of the growing attention. They continue their journey through the drizzle, focused on the familiar path ahead rather than the sudden wave of interest their simple walk has sparked.

Shot in rural Rolpa, the video quickly spread across social media platforms and soon reached audiences beyond Nepal. On July 24, Aaj Tak, the digital platform of the Indian news network, published a feature titled “Bag on shoulders, dreams in eyes: Video of kids going to school in monsoon rain goes viral.”

But as the video gained traction, the focus shifted from the children’s everyday experience to the race for views, shares and online popularity.

Nepali internet users, YouTubers and content creators began searching for the girls, eventually locating them and their family.

Shortly afterwards, a follow-up video appeared on Facebook through an account named ‘Loken Pun’, showing creators stopping the children on their way to school. On July 23, another Facebook user, ‘Bhuwan Thapa’, travelled to the girls’ home. In a video titled “Reaching the home of the Rolpa girls who walked in the pouring rain,” the creator filmed the children in their raincoats and directed them to recreate the moment for the camera.

In the video, the creator asks the girls, “How were you walking?” before instructing them to walk hand-in-hand in front of the lens. The same person later posted photographs portraying himself as a philanthropist while distributing school supplies to the children using earnings generated from Facebook views.

The rush to capitalise on the viral moment was not limited to individual creators.

Nepal Telecom used an illustration of the three raincoat-clad girls in a promotional campaign for its data, voice and SMS packages. The campaign used the caption “Hello friends!!” although the children’s faces were not shown.

The Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office also used the viral clip in a road safety video published on its official Facebook page. The campaign compared the colours of the girls’ raincoats with traffic signals while repeatedly showing clear images of their faces.

Child rights advocates say such exposure highlights a wider problem: the increasing use of children’s images for online engagement, publicity and commercial benefit without adequate consideration of their privacy and safety.

Risk to Viral Children in Digital Media

Child rights advocates warn that viral exposure can expose children to multiple risks. Publicly revealing details about their location and daily routes can create physical security risks, while widespread circulation of their images may expose them to cyberbullying, stigma and online misuse. Such unwanted attention can also have a psychological impact, affecting children’s identity, confidence and self-esteem as they grow older.

Advocates further caution against commercial exploitation, where children's images and personal stories generate attention, publicity or income without proper safeguards, consent or compensation.

Anil Raghuvanshi, researcher and president of Child Safe Net, said neither the children nor their guardians appeared to have provided informed consent for the widespread circulation of their images.

“Exposing their faces and personal details creates a severe risk of image misuse in the future,” Raghuvanshi told Kantipur. “Revealing through a viral video that these young children walk alone along a deserted 35-minute path to school broadcasts their location to individuals with bad intentions. It poses a direct threat to their physical safety.”

Raghuvanshi said the pursuit of clicks and engagement has resulted in digital safety practices for children being ignored.

“The online world is moving faster than the safeguards designed to protect minors,” he said.

Psychological toll of turning children into symbols

Child rights activists warn that presenting children as objects of sympathy or entertainment can have lasting consequences.

Tillottam Paudel, president of the Children as Zone of Peace National Campaign (CZOP Nepal), said children’s agreement to appear in front of a camera cannot be considered meaningful consent because they may not understand the long-term consequences.

“Children may stand in front of a camera out of curiosity or fun without grasping the broader consequences,” Paudel said.

Psychologist Srijana Subedi said widespread exposure of children online can create identity struggles and social anxiety as they grow older.

“When the online persona constructed by social media conflicts with the child's real-world identity, it triggers a crisis of self. As they grow up, negative comments or cyberbullying targeting these old videos can deeply erode their self-esteem,” Subedi said.

She also warned against portraying children through a lens of pity and charity.

“When these children become adults and encounter these portrayals on the internet, it can create intense self-consciousness and damage their dignity,” she said.

Cosmetic governance vs structural poverty

Rather than focusing on protecting the children’s privacy and enforcing existing child protection measures, local authorities have also moved quickly to associate themselves with the viral moment.

Following the widespread circulation of the video, Runtigadhi Rural Municipality announced a decision to sponsor the education of the three girls up to higher education.

“Seeing the determination of these young children walking to school under a single raincoat demonstrates remarkable perseverance,” Runtigadhi Rural Municipality chairperson Janak Pun told Kantipur. “Our decision honours their discipline, warmth and mutual affection.”

Pun said the local government would cover all educational expenses of the children up to the higher secondary level.

Child rights advocates, however, question whether such interventions address the deeper challenges faced by children in the area. They argue that announcing support only after a child gains online attention risks turning governance into a response driven by publicity rather than policy.

According to the Small Area Estimation of Poverty report published by the National Statistics Office in 2023, Runtigadhi Rural Municipality has a poverty rate of 42.49 percent. Of its total population of 28,285, around 12,017 people live below the poverty line. The municipality already provides free education up to Grade 12, as mandated by the government’s education policy.

“Should a local government intervene only after children become viral, or should it systematically address the needs of all children living in poverty?” asked Anil Raghuvanshi of Child Safe Net. “Announcing free education because of a viral video is not enough. The state must focus on creating safer routes to schools and introducing initiatives such as walking school buses, where adults accompany groups of children.”

CZOP president Paudel expressed similar concerns, saying it was unfortunate that government bodies appeared to be responding to online attention rather than addressing broader child welfare issues.

“Local child rights committees and all three tiers of government must act responsibly,” Paudel said. “Instead of chasing internet attention, authorities must ensure equal rights, quality education and safety for every child under their jurisdiction.”

Responding to criticism, Pun defended the municipality’s decision, saying the support was intended as encouragement rather than preferential treatment.

“Education up to Grade 12 is already completely free across our municipality, and no child is deprived of schooling,” Pun told Kantipur. “Our intention was simply to highlight these children’s dedication and inspire others. It was only a gesture of encouragement.”

However, child rights advocates argue that the episode reflects a wider challenge: governments often react to visible cases that attract public attention while many vulnerable children continue to face the same barriers without recognition.