Along with the remarkable evolution of social networks, news is updated almost every minute, including bad news that has been detailedly described. However, these articles have been argued that they have a negative impact on readers and should be restricted. As far as I thought, I completely agree with this point as it will encourage imitation of criminal behaviour and desensitize people to violence.
The following paragraphs will analyze my point. Firstly, graphic details in crime news can adversely influence young viewers, especially vulnerable audiences. These types of articles not just appear on mainstream news websites, but they are also published on public media platforms like Facebook, which owns a huge amount of global consumers. In particular, young people from the ages of 11 to 18, who suffer from cognitive immaturity and lack of parental supervision, tend to mimic those criminal behaviours to gain attention and worship their acts as an achievement . Indeed, today’s youth have accessed social media in early childhood, this inadvertently creates conditions for immature minds to be exposed to harmful contents and imitate it instinctively. In the long-term, if such circumstances still occur, it may increase the percentages of crimes globally.
In addition, frequently reading those detailed articles makes readers become desensitized to violent acts. By approaching toxic information as usual, audiences gradually default that this kind of sensational content is just common sense. According to a research of psychologist Fanti and his colleagues has shown that repetitive exposure to the same contents over and over again can lead to desensitization. Therefore, empathy with victims can be decreased, which is linked to a potential risk of an indifferent society.
In conclusion, it is critical to propose practical measures to restrict detailed description of harmful contents on the Internet. Thereby producing a healthier environment for users, particularly the teens, and contributing to complete youth awareness.