Masked teenagers dressed as cats, foxes, or dogs run on all fours in a park in Buenos Aires. The images intrigue, amuse, and sometimes worry audiences far beyond Argentina. The âtherianâ movement, where individuals claim to have a mental, spiritual, or psychological identification with a non-human animal, is gaining spectacular visibility on social media. What once resembled a discreet subculture is now becoming a global phenomenon tailor-made for TikTok.
According to a recent report by the Associated Press, the hashtag #therian has surpassed two million posts on TikTok, with Argentina leading Latin America in engagement around this trend. In the capital, gatherings allow young participants to wear masks, ears, or tails, navigate obstacles, and reconnect with a community that shares their codes.
Therians in Argentina: The Images That Sparked Virality
The visual power of the phenomenon explains much of its success. A teenager wearing a beagle mask crawls across a lawn on all fours. Another, who goes by the name Aguara, mimics the movements of a Belgian Malinois and leaps over obstacles. Other youths climb trees wearing feline or fox masks. Each sequence is instantly recognizable, easy to comment on, and perfect for recommendation algorithms.
Aguara, 15 years old according to the AP, has amassed over 125,000 followers on TikTok and organizes meetups around Buenos Aires. She explains that she leads an ordinary teenage life while enjoying moments when she expresses this animal identity. This nuance often disappears when a few seconds of video leave their context and become fodder for mockery or controversy.
Being Therian Means Different Things to Different People
The term encompasses various experiences. Some participants describe a lasting inner identification with a species. Others primarily engage with costumes, movement, play, or character creation. A teenager interviewed by the AP identifies as âotherpawâ: she wears a mask and a tail or moves on all fours for fun, without claiming to be an animal.
This diversity is crucial to avoid shortcuts. The movement is neither a single organization nor a structured belief system. It operates like many digital subcultures: practices blend, words circulate between countries, and each individual constructs their own relationship with the group. Some find artistic performance, others a protective community, and still others a language to express part of their personality.
A Community Before a Spectacle
For many young Argentinians, meetups provide a space where they feel accepted. This social dimension sheds light on how quickly the trend has spread. During adolescence, belonging to a group, identity experimentation, and the creation of common codes are classic mechanisms. TikTok simply gives them a global stage, editing tools, and the ability to instantly find others with similar interests.
Why TikTok Transforms Subculture into a Global Phenomenon
Platforms do not always showcase the most representative practices; they favor those that capture attention. A realistic mask, an impressive jump, or animal-like movement generates more reactions than a calm explanation in front of the camera. The algorithm thus rewards the most astonishing sequences, and the ensuing indignant or amused comments further amplify their reach.
This mechanism creates a paradox. Mockery can hurt the young people filmed, but it also increases their audience and attracts new members. The stranger the videos are labeled, the more visible they become. The Argentine phenomenon aligns with other cultures born online: cosplay, fan communities, choreographic challenges, or hyper-coded aesthetics have all grown through the intersection of creativity and algorithmic recommendation.
Should Parents and Schools Really Be Worried?
Psychologist Débora Pedace, director of a therapeutic center in Buenos Aires interviewed by the AP, initially describes a symbolic identification. She believes the situation becomes concerning only when a belief becomes deeply entrenched, leading to a break with reality or exposing the individual to self-harm or harm to others. In other words, a mask or physical play is not enough to establish a disorder.
For adults, the appropriate response is to look at the context rather than ridicule the appearance. Is the young person still attending school, seeing their loved ones, and respecting others? Does the practice remain safe? Are they experiencing bullying? Are they spending excessive amounts or sharing personal information? These concrete signals allow for a risk assessment, far more than the strangeness of a video.
- Engage in dialogue without humiliation: ask what the practice means to the young person.
- Protect privacy: avoid locations, uniforms, or data that allow for identification.
- Monitor bullying: keep evidence and use reporting tools.
- Set physical limits: masks, jumps, and movements must remain compatible with safety.
From Buenos Aires to France, the Same Battle for Context
In France and Europe, the movement is already visible in French-speaking content, although the Argentine scale gives it new exposure today. Schools and families may quickly be confronted with videos taken out of context. The temptation will be strong to reduce the phenomenon to provocation or, conversely, to automatically assign it a clinical meaning.
A more responsible reading distinguishes expression, play, and potential suffering. It also reminds us that the teenagers filmed remain minors exposed to a global audience. Resharing a sequence to mock it can transform a local practice into a wave of cyberbullying. Platforms, media, and influencers thus bear responsibility for how these images are framed.
The Signal That No One Can Ignore
The success of therians in Argentina does not prove that millions of young people are rejecting their human identity. It primarily shows how quickly a subculture can become a global spectacle when it combines strong visual signs, adolescent community, and algorithms eager for reactions. The real story is not just about young people wearing masks: itâs about the Internet transforming every difference into content.
Behind the apparent strangeness, the questions are familiar: how to belong to a group, experiment with identity, find a place, and resist the gaze of others? Buenos Aires is currently the most visible stage for this movement. Tomorrow, the trend may emerge elsewhere, with the same images and the same debates. Understanding before judging will then be the best way to protect young people without denying what they are experiencing.
Sources
- Associated Press â report on the therian phenomenon in Argentina, accessed August 1, 2026.
- UNICEF â advice for families facing bullying and cyberbullying, accessed August 1, 2026.
- World Health Organization â adolescent mental health, accessed August 1, 2026.