Content Warning: Mentions of graphic violence and death.
On Wednesday night, I stumbled upon the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska on Facebook; unable to handle watching the surveillance footage, I stuck to just reading the story. And yet, that felt too overwhelming. Hours later came news of another school shooting in Colorado, just days after the mass shooting in Minneapolis. Then the news came that Charlie Kirk was murdered just down the road from us.
That night I opened TikTok for a much needed break from a very harsh reality, the app’s algorithm is designed to deliver exactly what it thinks I want. Thinking I was about to embark on a mindless scroll down a TSITP rabbit hole, instead I was met with absolute horror. I should have known better. Within seconds of opening the app, I encountered an up-close graphic video of Charlie Kirk being shot in the neck. Quickly scrolling up, the next TikTok was someone laughing about him being silenced. I instantly closed out the app and logged out of my social media.
Tragic image. Meet Amygdala.
The amygdala is the part of your brain involved in fear and emotion. It gets activated when you see something horrific. It essentially tells your memory system: “This is dangerous, don’t forget it.” That’s why images tied to strong emotions (fear, disgust, shock, sadness) replay more vividly than let’s say, the morning walk you took with your dog. And regardless of what side of the fence you’re on, nothing gets more dangerous or more graphic than seeing someone’s life being taken right in front of your eyes in 4k. Your amygdala will lock that in as significant and tell you to remember it. Every time the image pops back into your mind, your brain is rehearsing it, which actually strengthens the memory. This creates a loop that makes it feel like it’s “stuck,” and ultimately rewiring your brain.
How may times does it take for your brain to no longer consider something as significant?
For some, just a few repeated exposures (even 2–3 times) can make something feel less shocking. For others, especially with heavier or more graphic material, it may take dozens of exposures.
According to the American Academy of Family Phyicisians, the average child sees an estimated 200,000 acts of violence on television by the age of 18. That’s way more than 2-3 times, or even a dozen. If you think that isn’t desenticizing your child’s impressionable brain, you’re kidding yourself. Remember it only takes a handful of times for your brain to switch gears from “significant” to “normal.”
We should never be desensitized to witnessing violent deaths. To those who say, “that’s just how the world is now,” I couldn’t disagree more. Death should never be accepted as ordinary, and it should never be passively consumed.
I understand that talking about movies and TV shows might seem so silly, but that’s part of the problem. When the members of your family are being exposed to 200,000 acts of violence during their formative years, that’s a problem. When trauma is broadcasted and consumed like casual content, something is deeply wrong. Filtering movies might sound small in comparison to the bigger battles out there, but it’s one powerful way to push back against desensitization. Every time a parent skips what doesn’t belong in their home, they’re telling their kids: “We don’t normalize this here.” VidAngel gives families a fighting chance to protect their minds and create a space where what we watch builds us up instead of tearing us down. You don’t have to passively consume media. Some things were never meant to be normal.
