Social Media Amplifying and Fueling Violence

Violence has been part of human experience since Cain killed Abel, but technology has made it more visible and ubiquitous than ever. However, unlike movies and video games, which depict fictional violence, social media is amplifying actual violence, with virtually no age restrictions.

Platforms like X and TikTok flood users with graphic content—fights, riots and worse. The constant exposure desensitizes users, especially younger ones, to real-world harm, an Epoch Times report shows.

• Algorithms prioritize sensational clips, creating a feedback loop that warps perceptions and fuels outrage or apathy.
• Since 2020, engagement with violent posts is up 40 percent, driven by algorithmic boosts.
• Seven in 10 teens report seeing real-world violence on social media, a 2024 Youth Endowment Fund study shows.

Studies show that frequent viewing of violent content can reduce empathy and increase aggression.

We don’t experience violence every day, multiple times a day, in the real world; but on social media, especially because people are spending hours each day [on those platforms], you can be exposed to it for hours each day repeatedly. Outside of people engaged in war, there’s never been an equivalent to this in human history.
—Andrew Selepak, University of Florida social media research specialist

This isn’t just a digital problem—it is seeping into real-world behaviors.

• Minor conflicts that begin on social media can escalate into serious in-person encounters and physical altercations.
• Some people mimic what they see online.
• Social media platforms tend to dehumanize people with opposing views, making violence against them seem more acceptable.

Social media’s unfiltered lens is numbing society to violence and priming it to escalate conflicts. It is a potent tool the devil uses to drive society toward civil war, which biblical prophecy warns is coming.