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Lindsey Glowney

Prof. Cassel

English 1201

21 July 2019

What is the relationship between social media and youth violence?

Young adults have become very attached to their devices that them to their friends and

the outside world. While social media is a great way to stay connected with friends and family, it

could also be problematic in that adolescents “may be particularly vulnerable to what they find

on social media” (Klass, 2019). As the power of technology and social media have become very

prominent in modern day adolescent usage, youth violence has increased as a result. I wasn’t

fully aware of this issue until it personally related to me. My nine-year-old son came home from

school one day and told my husband and I about how his third-grade class had their routine

“school shooting drill.” Baffled, I thought back to when I was in elementary school and how we

had tornado drills, but we never had school shooting drills. Schools today now practice how to

remain as safe as possible during a school shooting. Thinking of my young son hiding under his

desk, potentially being shielded away from an active shooter, was simply heart wrenching. I

wasn’t aware of the importance of classroom safety during a shooting until I became a parent.

With the rise in exposure to violence on social media comes an increase in the number of

shootings, cyber bulling, suicides, and gang violence in youths around the world.

One of the main issues relating to media violence is determining whether content in

social media meets the definition of violence. “Definitions have evolved from focusing solely on

physical acts perpetuated by one character on another and intended to cause harm to including
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verbal and social manifestations of aggression, for example spreading rumors, calling names,

excluding others, and issuing threats” (Scharrer 2018). Violence and social media have been

linked to aggressive attitudes and thoughts in young adults; as well as fear, desensitization, and

the view that the world can be dangerous and scary. Exposure to violence on social media has

also been shown to diminish empathy, as well as the willingness to help victims, and to

contribute to the acceptance and tolerance of violence (Scharrer 2018). “Research has also

linked violent video game play with negative attitudes towards women and with an increased

acceptance of sexual harassment or rape myths, especially among males” (Scharrer 2018). After

the Columbine school shooting in the US, parents selected media violence as the second most

common explanation for the rise of youth violence. It has now become common practice to have

school drills to prepare for a potential school shooting.

Adolescents who expressed school massacre threats online as opposed to in person

threats, were more often likely to carry out the act. “Half of the adolescents who expressed their

massacre threats online had made preparations to carry out the threat, which is considered a

crucial step in the process of becoming a school shooter” (Desmond et. al., 2014). Other studies

have found that group pressures may be stronger in a social media setting than in face-to-face

interactions. Deviant online communities, such as pro-school-shooting groups, may provide a

platform for like-minded individuals to come together and thus reinforce their violent ideations”

(Desmond et. al., 2014).

While social media violence in young adults has increased over the last decade, media

violence in general has been addressed at various times throughout history. Legislators,

politicians, citizen groups, and other policy makers have addressed the issues of media violence

in adolescents at various times over the past twenty years. Similar to social media, it appears
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that media violence in general has had little consequences when it comes to regulating content.

“In the United States, many such inquiries concluded with admonitions for media industries to

self-regulate the amount and types of violence in programming, especially in programming

marketed to young audiences, but there was little consequence for those that failed to do so”

(Scharrer 2018). The passing of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which required the

installment of a computer chip in newly manufactured televisions to regulate program content

(including violence), may have been the most impactful policy intervention in the United States.

As of now, nothing of that nature has been created to regulate content on social media.

Another major area of concern is that online communities tend to downplay the fact that

words have a big impact on young adults; whether they’re said in person or online.

Cyberbullying, a type of bullying that “takes place over digital devices like cellphones,

computers, and tablets” is one of the leading causes of suicides (Russell 2017). Studies on

bullying statistics state that over half of teens and adolescents are faced with or engaged in

cyberbullying. There are about 4,400 cases of individuals that have committed suicide due to this

type of bullying. “It is still such a surprise to me that our government hasn’t made better laws or

protections to victims who are faced with cyberbullying” (Russell 2017). Hurtful comments said

on devices are being screenshotted and sent out peers; and when it comes to young adults, this

can be very traumatic. Facebook has over 2.07 billion active users, showing social media has a

large impact on society. “Unfortunately, when it comes to allowing everyone to post what they

may want, you may sometimes come across the pages or people who are negative; and that’s

how cyberbullying occurs” (Russell 2017). Social media exposes young adults and children to a

lot of things, such as bullying, and has little consequences. “They see their classmates online
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and if a student has a bully in the classroom, it’s not unlikely for them to be a bully online as

well” (Russell 2017).

Fig. 1. This chart shows percentages relating to forms of cyberbullying in young adults between

the ages of 12-17 (Patchin and Hinduja 1).

Although there is a difference between cyberbullying and face-to-face bullying,

cyberbullying differs in that “humiliating text or visual materials sent to social media can be

permanent and available to the public” (Desmond et. al., 2014). Perpetrators can also dominate a

victim through social media use by remaining anonymous. “The risk of becoming either a

perpetrator or victim of cyberbullying was the highest for adolescents with an active profile on

social networking sites and those who participate in chat rooms” (Desmond et. al., 2014). While

the most severe forms of cyberbullying consist of embarrassing pictures or photos on social

media, offensive insults on websites, chat rooms, and blogs follow closely behind. According to

cyberbullying statistics from the I-SAFE foundation, “Over half of adolescents and teens have
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been bullied online, and about the same have engaged in cyberbullying. More than 1 in 3 young

people have experienced cyberthreats online. Over 25 percent of adolescents and teens have

been bullied repeatedly through their cell phones or the Internet. Well over half of young people

do not tell their parents when cyber bulling occurs” (I-SAFE 2019). Ideas and suggestions by

parents and teachers have been offered to avoid cyberbullying, such as blocking someone who is

being hurtful, but issues still remain.

Researchers have also found connections between social media use and mental health in

young adults as well. Technology, such as gaming and social media, show manifestations of

problematic interactive media use. This leads to problematic behaviors, such as depression or

social anxiety. This becomes an issue when only about a third of teenagers with depression get

treatment (Klass 2019). It is evident that use of mobile devices has invaded the lives of

teenagers. Anymore they are “waking up to check their devices and using them right before

falling asleep—and first thing on waking up” (Klass 2019). The power of technology and social

has become very prominent in modern day adolescent usage.

With the increase in violent exposure on social media comes an increase in suicide rates

between ages 10 to 19 at the same Netflix released a series called “13 Reasons Why.” The

Netflix show is a teen drama series about a teenager whose best friend committed suicide after

facing school gossip and sexual assault. While the study shows the Netflix series has influenced,

not caused, an increase in suicide attempts, it still pertains to media contagion—“that is, the

possibility that the show and the intense discussion of it on social media may have led to some

imitative behavior, and cites the need for safer and more thoughtful portrayal of suicide in the

media” (Klass 2019).

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Cyber-suicide, a self-directed form of youth violence, refers to individuals using the

Internet to communicate suicidal ideations. Researchers express a concern that “social media

can create a space for youth to learn about ways of committing suicide and others who hae done

so, and that online engagement with a prior suicide may even motiviate them to replicate the

event, a phenomenon known as the Werther effect” (Desmond et. al., 2014).

Some doctors argue that most of the young adults that are more prone to violent or

suicidal behavior influenced by social media have underlying issues to start with. Issues such as

attention deficit hyperactivity order, social anxiety disorder, or depression (Klass 2019). Dr.

Rich at Boston’s Children’s Hospital’s Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders said

interactive media “is not a diagnosis at all, but is a syndrome of these other already established

psychiatric disorders” (Klass 2019). These doctors claim that when these adolescents receive

treatment for their underlying problems, their behaviors become much more manageable or

disappear. On the contrary, other doctors say social media can actually do more harm to

teenagers who are severely depressed or suicidal than good. For example, a teen shared with Dr.

Ana Radovic, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, stated that

social media can go both ways. It can be helpful when adolescents are feeling depressed or

suicidal and see positive role models but can also influence teens in negative ways. A young

patient of hers followed a band that helped with her depression, but then teenager saw a picture

of the band member self-harming and cutting her arm. Dr. Radovic said “It’s a balancing act for

some of these teens, finding help and support online but not being able to filter out the negative

things” (Klass 2019).

Homicide is also one of the leading causes of death for young adults, according to the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2010, an average of 13 young adults were
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victims of homicide every day and many more were victims of nonfatal violence (Desmond et.

al., 2014). Exposure to violence has shown to have a negative impact on “youth mental health,

academic performance, and relationships” (Desmond et. al., 2014). Youth violence, such as

bullying, gang violence, and self-directed violence has increased with online usage. While some

of these violent acts by adolescents are solely internet-based interactions, many are personal acts

of violence. Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace are social media sites that have previously

provided unmonitored and uncensored environments; exposing youth to illegal activities or

violent behaviors.

While other countries also deal with similar issues, they’ve been proactive in their

approach to tackle the correlation between social media and violence in young adults. In UK, a

youth worker named Craig Pinkney, who runs one-day courses for people who work with young

adults, such as youth workers, social workers, and teachers, claims the government needs to

modernize its approach. “The government should consider funding programs that educate youth

workers in social media because lots of people are still using the same ideas they did in 2001 and

2005 and they are presenting them in 2017, when the scope has changed” (Marsh 2018).

Pinkney also shared that if there’s something such as a fight outside of school, there’s a

high likelihood that social media has been involved and his goal is to help professionals

understand that. Positive results have been shown with running social media sessions with adults

who work with adolescents. These sessions help teachers, social workers, etc., know how to

handle a situation when it involves youth gangs and violence influenced by social media.

Pinkney, for example, “shows clips of young people taunting each other through music videos

and in social media posts and offers advice to youth workers about how they can protect young

people from this” (Marsh 2018).

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Dr. Simon Harding, a senior lecturer in criminology at Middlesex University in the UK

said he started noticing gangs using social media four years ago and since then the numbers have

doubled every year (Marsh 2018). He states, “Young people are so completely immersed in this

world…so it is a logical progression that gang activity takes place online” (Marsh 2018). It’s the

same scenario in the United States. Research has identified a new trend among youth living in

violent urban neighborhoods. These young adults use social networking sites, such as Facebook,

Twitter, and Instagram to “brag about violence, make threats, recruit gang members and plan

criminal activity known as Internet banging” (Desmond et, al., 2016). Similar to the UK,

outreach workers have made efforts to intervene on how youth use social media to taunt rival

games or boas about violent events. Social workers are engaging in crisis intervention in violent

neighborhoods, seeing positive results “when coupled with close, trusting relationships with

youth” (Desmond et, al., 2016).

In Canada, a systematic keyword search of over 25 street gangs were identified, and

researchers found that gangs primarily used Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace. Researchers found

that “gangs used social media sites primarily to promote gang and street culture but not

necessarily to recruit gang members” (Desmond et. al., 2014). Gang members use social media

to post videos, watch videos, announce activities, incite dares, or make fun of a recent homicide

or victim. They also use social media as a platform to display weapons, brag about violence, as

well as discuss and display illegal and other substances (Desmond et. al., 2014).

The way adolescents use their devices reflect the power of technology. Questions have

arisen such as “Can we help teenagers filter their online experience to stay away from negative

exposure? Or even help them figure out how to use social media to get help when they need it?”

(Klass 2019). Other suggestions have been that people should be hired solely to filter out certain
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harmful things on social media. “Once the bullies begin to see that these websites are cracking

down on the negativity, it would help the problem” (Russell 2017). Although little is known

about the effects of youth experiences with violence via social media, “effective prevention and

intervention strategies require a comprehensive understanding of the types of violence in social

media that place children and adolescence at the risk of engaging in such behaviors” (Desmond

et. al., 2014).

Youth violence, whether it’s bullying, gang violence, or self-directed violence; deserves

the attention of violence researchers in the sociologic, medical, public health, and criminal

domain. Researchers should consider examining the degree to which messages of all areas of

violence and aggression are spread electronically. New forms of social media and online

involvement are constantly developing and staying knowledgeable will help tackle negative

effects of the electronic world. Parents can talk to their adolescents about cyberbullying and

explain the negative consequences it has. Creating rules such as not to send mean messages or

repercussions will occur is a way to ensure this behavior won’t be tolerated in their household.

Parents could also keep an open dialogue with their teenager when it comes to any bullying or

violence witnessed on social media. When young adults know they have someone to go to, it

helps tackle the violent behavior that is either witnessed or caused. Schools could also speak to

young adults on how to address any issues they may come across, as well as just simply let the

students know they have resources and people to go to for help. Regardless, while social media

violence will most likely not end all together, impactful ways to educate and limit it from

occurring are steps in the right direction.

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Works Cited

Gunter, Barrie. “Does Playing Video Games Make Players More Violent?” Palgrave

Macmillan. Sinclair Community College Library. July 2016.

Klass, M.D., Perry. “When Social Media Is Really Problematic for Adolescents.” New York

Times. June 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/03/well/family/teenagers-social-

media.html

Marsh, Sarah. “Social Media Related to Violence By Young People, Say Experts.”

TheGuardian.com. April 2018. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/apr/02/social-

media-violence-young-people-gangs-say-experts

Patchin, Justin W. and Sameer Hinduja. “Cyberbullying Victimization”. Cyberbullying

Research Center, 2016, https://cyberbullying.org/2016-cyberbullying-data.

Patton, Desmond. Eschmann, Robert. Elasser, Caitlin. Bocanegra, Eddie. “Sticks, stones, and

Facebook accounts: What violence outreach workers know about social media and

urban-based gang violence in Chicago.” Science Direct. December 2016.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/search/advanced?docId=10.1016/j.chb.2016.05.052?

Patton, Desmond. Sung Hong, Jun. Ranney, Megan. Patel, Sadiq. Kelley, Caitlin. Eschmann,

Rob. Washington, Tyreasa. “Social media as a vector for youth violence: A review of the

literature.” Science Direct. June 2014.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563214001101

Russell, Bahati. “STOP Cyberbulling.” Hastac.org. December 2017.

https://www.hastac.org/blogs/bahatiakili/2017/12/02/cyber-bullying-and-social-media

Scharrer, Erica. “Teaching about Media Violence.” Wiley Online Library.” September 2018.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/9781118978238.ieml0231
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Valkenburg, Patti. “Plugged In: How Media Attract and Affect Youth.” Sinclair Community

College Library. New Haven Press: Yale. 2017