Lina Ng, who plays mum of bullying victim in upcoming drama, on why her son didn't tell her he was getting bullied back in primary school

In upcoming Mediacorp English drama Alienated, which is adapted from 2016 Korean horror short film Human Form, Lina Ng plays the single mother of Luna, a 18-year-old who tries to end her life after dealing with immense societal pressure. 

Luna is played by newbie actress Lim Shi-An, who is the daughter of actors Lim Yubeng, who is also in Alienated, and Tan Kheng Hua.

The show also focuses on various social issues such as toxic positivity, cancel culture, and bullying.

However, in an interview with Chinese news portal zaobao.sg, Lina, 48, revealed that she actually "really dislikes [dealing with such issues]".

"For my generation, we would also be hated on when we say or do the wrong things, but it's rare for people to form groups to bully you. But now, maybe because of the Internet, it's easier for people to exchange messages," she said.

In fact, just like how her on-screen daughter fell victim to bullying, Lina divulged that one of her sons was teased constantly when he was in primary school.

Lina has three sons — Jeriel, 19, Joel, 17, and Samuel, 12 — with former national bowler Mike Lam, 52.

Lina Ng with husband Mike Lam and her three sons Jeriel, Joel and Samuel

According to Lina, her son was repeatedly picked on by his schoolmates on the school bus. Her son, however, did not tell anyone about what he was going through.

"Then one day, he suddenly flared up. I've never seen him in that state. That's when I sensed something amiss," she shared. 

Lina decided to inform the school about her concerns and it took them a few months to find out that her son, who was in primary five at that time, had been bullied since primary two and three.

Lina went on to point out that at a certain age, children who are more "gentle" by nature are more prone to being bullied. She also urged parents to pay more attention to the emotions of their children. 

For Lina, even though she's close to her son, he chose to hide the bullying from her because he didn't want her to worry. 

"Sometimes it's not because the teachers didn't observe [that something was going on], but the kids just refuse to say. Sometimes it's also because the parents are too busy with work and fail to notice," explained Lina.

"Actually if the kids are very close to their parents, that will help resolve these issues better," she added.

Photos: Lina Ng/Instagram

Alienated is set to air in November. In the meantime, you can catch Lina in Your World In Mine on meWATCH below: