By Chloe Meechan

Casual killings, gruesome fights in high schools and content one would never imagine they'd ever see. For those aged 17-23, childhood to them was the peak of social media rising, mobile phones becoming smarter, and apps such as Instagram, or Twitter being released to the public.

The social media space used to be innocent; casual photos, fun days out, and updating friends and family on your health or situation. So, when did it become so violent?

In the past, journalists were able to gatekeep content that may be too graphic and keep it away from the public eye. However, now anyone can upload footage directly from a conflict zone, crime scene or accident.

While the reason may be to raise awareness, it also means people are exposed to raw violence that previous generations rarely saw. Exposure to this material can become routine to those who have viewed it frequently growing up.

This leads onto the conversation of young boys aged 12-14 who go through a phase of consistently watching 'gore' videos. Almost every man who grew up with social media, especially on Twitter or Reddit, grew up with a strong fascination for extremely gory videos and exposing others to them - typically girls, to provoke a reaction of shock and horror.

This may be the reason why young boys are inherently rude and sometimes cruel to young girls during puberty.

Unfortunately, this type of content has become embedded in everyday online life. As a result, many researchers argue that society is becoming desensitised to violent imagery. Psychological research has found that repeated exposure to violent media can reduce emotional reactions to cruelty and increase acceptance of aggressive behaviour.

A study published in the 'Journal of Personality and Social Psychology' by the American Psychological Association (APA) has found that individuals with higher exposure to this type of media show greater signs of desensitisation and were less emotionally responsive to violent content.

Every day, millions of people witness traumatising content with a swipe of a screen. What should shock the average person barely earns a second glance. Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, now either take responsibility or become aware of what their young audience consume and put restrictions into place, or violence will continue to blend into the background of everyday online life.

Perhaps the most alarming consequence is not the content itself, but how easily we have learned to live with it.

Have We Become Numb to Violence Online?