Is 2 Kings 2:23-24 really about God sending bears to maul children because they were making fun of Elisha for being bald? What is actually happening in the passage and why did it warrant such a severe judgment on the young men (not children)?

Links:

Why did the Prophet Elisha curse the “youths” for making fun of his baldness (2 Kings 2:23-24)? - https://www.gotquestions.org/Elisha-baldhead.html

Who was Elisha in the Bible? - https://www.gotquestions.org/life-Elisha.html