SHAH ALAM, Oct 22 — Kampung Tunku state assemblyman Lim Yi Wei has urged the public to stop spreading videos or photos of school violence on social media, warning that it could lead to copycat incidents.
The public should avoid spreading such content, while the media should practise ethical, non-sensationalist reporting following the recent incident in a private school in Kuching, Sarawak.
“Many are rightly shocked and concerned for our children. Having physical and online discussions and sharing information feels helpful, but where do we draw the line between solidarity and sensationalism?
“I strongly urge the public to stop spreading photos or videos of school violence incidents and the media to practise ethical, non-sensationalist reporting to prevent the social contagion effect, which may lead to copycat incidents,” she said in a statement today.
Yesterday, the police confirmed that investigations are underway involving a 16-year-old male student, who allegedly attacked a teacher with an axe at an international school in Kuching, following a report received at 8.03am through the MERS 999 emergency line.
A video and screenshots depicting a male teenager attacking his teacher and classmates in a classroom were circulated on social platforms.
Lim added that she is disheartened to see social media users using the videos online to garner attention, using hashtags to boost the post’s algorithm, making them appear on people’s feeds.
“They exploit legitimate shock and concerns on school safety, which generate the ‘Likes’ and ‘Shares’ and sometimes, income for the poster,” she said.
Incidents involving school violence can be discussed without publicising the perpetrator’s livestream of the attack or manifesto.
Despite their user policies, Lim said social media platforms do not have strong incentive to remove content because their business models thrive on outrage and virality.
“We say that children are susceptible to the influence of social media; social contagion explains that adults are not immune. So, we must confront ourselves: are we sharing because we really care or because our brains thrive on the endorphin rush from online validation?
“Let us get off our devices, let us get down to business, and deal with the hard issues to stop school violence,” she said.
Lim also pointed to studies in the United States (US), involving mass media coverage that could influence mass shootings and that non-sensationalised reports, similarly adopted during the US coverage of teen suicides in the 1980s, could help reduce incidents.
She cited a 2015 study that found that mass killings involving firearms including school shootings were motivated by similar events in the immediate past, in which the shooter event claimed mass killers as inspiration.
“Besides stricter gun laws, US campaigns like the ‘Don’t Name Them’ movement have urged the media and the public to stop profiling or sensationalising the shooters and focus on victims and survivors so that the shooters do not get the fame they seek.
“Although guns are difficult to obtain in Malaysia, anything can be a weapon if misused with intent and sufficient force. Metal detectors, police presence, close-circuit televisions, and the rotan will only provide a false sense of safety if we fail to address the core reasons for school violence,” Lim said.
Yesterday, Tunku Putra-HELP School confirmed an incident in which a teacher was injured by a student with an axe in a classroom, adding that it will step up security measures by stationing three auxiliary police officers at the school.
Acting Sarawak Police Commissioner DCP Saifullizan Ishak said police are investigating the case under Section 324 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means, as well as Section 6(1) of the Explosives Act 1957.
