What's the force of nature that's pushing this snowball down the hill? Sounds like joy of hurting others, amplified by feedback and validation from like-minded people online.
It's not about age. It's more about reveling in others' confusion and suffering, which might stem from their own experience of that.
The frequency of that mindset and the networking of it through technology seems like our social disease.
These folks are hurting.
It seems kind of obvious that harassment of any kind isn't welcome by the recipient. That's given by definition of the word "harassment". I've definitely been on the receiving end for what it's worth.
So much for "doing things that damage society".