Quadrobbing is a danger or just a game: psychologists' answer

Psychologist Tatyana Tatarintseva, commenting for UNN on children's fascination with the new trend of quadrobics, said that this could be a response to the crisis.

Quadrobics is a new subculture trend that combines physical activity with imitation of the movements and sounds of various animals, both domestic and wild. The peculiarity of quadrobics is moving on four limbs and performing various tricks: jumping over obstacles, running fast.

The foundation of quad running was laid by Japanese sprinter Kenichi Ito, who was teased as a child with the nickname “monkey”. Then the runner decided to turn it to his advantage. He studied the movements of monkeys and developed a technique for moving on four limbs. In 2008, Kenichi even set a Guinness World Record.

Ukraine is also experiencing a wave of popularity among the quadrober subculture. However, people often confuse the subcultures of quadrobs and furries. The latter comes from the English word for furry. In fact, furries appeared much earlier, in the second half of the 20th century. Their main feature is dressing up as animals from cartoons, comics, and books. Furries are endowed with human traits: facial expressions, uprightness, and intelligence. Unlike quadrobers, furries do not exercise, and for many adults, it is a hobby with a cosplay angle, not a way to attract attention on social media.

As for quadrobbing, it has started to gain a new wave of popularity thanks to trends in TikTok-like applications. The younger generation has started uploading videos of themselves in costumes and on four legs doing everyday activities at home or in public places.

Psychologist Tetiana Tatarintseva told us what age children are more likely to be interested in quad biking.

“According to my observations, these are elementary school children. That is, it is the transition from playful to educational activities. If a child has a crisis, no motivation to study, what does the psyche do? The psyche begins to adapt, because there is a lot of stress and it begins to degrade...” Tatarintseva said.

The psychologist noted that there are different types of quadrobs.

“They also say that they can eat animal food. They can also go to the litter box. Imagine how much the psyche degrades...” Tatarintseva said.

Psychologists ask parents not to stand aside. In this case, they advise them to discuss everything with their children in the format of an equal dialog, rather than using punishment.

“A ban will not help. I have a positive case from my practice where a girl decided that she would not be a quadrover. How did she do it? We began to analyze with her what the advantages and disadvantages of being a quadrobe were for her and determined that she would have more advantages in her human form and would have more friends and be accepted by society,” Tatarintseva said.

In addition to the social circle of the same “quadroberts,” a child may face misunderstanding from their elders. And among their peers, representatives of this subculture may become victims of bullying.

“...to prevent the child from becoming neurotic, you need to communicate. And to communicate especially in the evening, when the child is ready to open up and tell parents what happened,” Tatarintseva said.

According to the psychologist, animal behavior is a response to a crisis situation.

First of all, parents need to explain to their children how society works and that they are also part of it.

Psychologist Oksana Gomel, commenting on situations when children and teenagers play around and may cross the line by barking at dogs and cats, said that teenagers are still looking for themselves, do not understand all the risks, and play around. They just need to say “stop” in time, at least to the person on the street.

According to her, it can also be an escape from reality for teenagers.

“Society is like that, especially teenagers, they are looking for something new in themselves. Teenagers generally want to be original, they don't want to be like everyone else. They want to be recognized by their peers. Because the most important group for teenagers is their peers... So I don't see any such problem. If it's in moderation, like the boy who invented it, then it's a buffer so that you don't suffer from being teased,” Gomel believes.