Stop sharing school violence videos, says DAP rep

Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lim Yi Wei has urged Malaysians to refrain from sharing videos of school violence on social media, warning against sensationalising the incidents. She believes this is to prevent social contagion, a phenomenon where behaviors, emotions, or ideas spread quickly and can trigger copycat events. Lim stated her call in a statement, questioning the line between solidarity and sensationalism when discussing such incidents.

She expressed disappointment over social media posts related to a recent Kuching incident, where the attacker had live-streamed the attack for 12 minutes and six seconds before it was taken down. Lim criticized posts that used hashtags like #viralkan and #fyp to increase visibility, as they exploit legitimate shock and concerns about school safety for likes, shares, and sometimes income for the poster.

A 2015 US study found that school shootings were often motivated by recent similar events, with the increased probability of such attacks lasting about 13 days on average. Lim emphasized that discussions on school violence should not involve sharing videos or sensationalising attackers' actions and manifestos. However, she noted that social media platforms have little incentive to remove such content as their business models thrive on heated discourse and virality.

Lim concluded by stating that while children are susceptible to social media influence, adults are not immune. She urged the public to reflect on whether they share content out of genuine concern or due to the endorphin rush from online validation.