Who Is 'Smartschoolboy9' And What Did He Do? The Creepy Viral Instagram Account Explained

In recent days, numerous social media users have been calling out an Instagram user known as "Smartschoolboy9" for his history of bizarre, surreal and creepy posts dating back to as early as 2021.

The user, who is purported to run a collection of similar accounts that pretend to be children for allegedly nefarious purposes, recently shut down all his supposed accounts after becoming the subject of investigations by Redditors and Discord users, who believe they have found his identity.

So what did this "Smartschoolboy9" person do and what is the problem with his content? Here's what you need to know about the unfolding story surrounding one of Instagram's weirdest accounts this year.

Who Is Smartschoolboy9?

Smartschoolboy9 was an Instagram user who, since as early as 2021, posted videos of himself dressed in stark white makeup, a schoolboy outfit and high-heeled boots. The content of these videos features eclectic editing and bizarre voiceover work in which the user, an adult male, acts like a young schoolboy.

While some of these videos are simply weird, others have been described as sexualized and fetishistic by many online. Some of his more troubling content appears to be filmed at schools, with other posts showing children in public that he appears to have photographed without their knowledge.

To make matters worse, at least a dozen other accounts with names like truth_sticks_11 and girl.chloe12 were discovered. These accounts also pose as children and feature equally surreal edits, including AI edits, featuring kids wearing the same high-heeled boots and posing in inappropriate ways. It is speculated by internet sleuths that these accounts were also run by Smartschoolboy9. All of these accounts appear to have since been removed.

How Is Social Media Reacting To 'Smartschoolboy9?'

Earlier in 2024, social media users became aware of Smartschoolboy9 after a Redditor made a post to the subreddit /r/Instagram sharing their discovery of his rumored accounts. This led to a lot of attention around Smartschoolboy9 and his purportedly related accounts, which were found to regularly interact with one another.

Soon, a subreddit and Discord server were started by internet users to investigate the man, find his identity and make sure he was not harming children.

Recently, these amateur investigators have allegedly found his identity, which they believe to be a man in Doncaster, England named David Walter. Allegedly, the man, or at least someone who fits his description, has been dressing and acting like this since the late '90s, with even David Firth of Salad Fingers fame claiming to have seen him around that time period.

Since going viral, Smartschoolboy9 has seemingly responded to the allegations and accusations using social media accounts that are believed to be his. He has denied the accusations but has since deleted or privatized these accounts.

Currently, it's unclear whether or not police have made contact with him, but they have been alerted of his online presence since all of this came to light.

For the full history of Smartschoolboy9, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.