“I was scrolling on Instagram like normal, and then I just saw him literally die. The only thing I remember is seeing blood, a lot of blood,” said Sophia Parry, a senior marketing major at Kent State.
She was referring to the video of political commentator Charlie Kirk being shot at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025. Kirk is sitting under a tent, holding a microphone while talking to students, just before he is shot in the neck. Substantial blood expels from his neck, he falls off his chair, then the video ends.
“I didn’t really know who he even was before, but now he’s my whole feed, and I can’t get rid of it. It’s one of the only things I’ve seen online that genuinely made me feel sick,” Parry said.
Parry is not the only young adult who was harmed by violent media. Seeing violence is so common today because it’s uncensored on social media. Almost 90% of people aged 18-34 have been exposed to harmful content online, meaning hate speech, misinformation, bullying or violence, at least once. In addition, more than 40% of people aged 18-24 have been exposed to harmful content on social media multiple times, according to a study by The Alan Turing Institute and The Ada Lovelace Institute. The internet provides access to violent media at our fingertips, and it is harmful.
The video of Iryna Zarutska being fatally stabbed on a train significantly affected another student.
“I didn’t even mean to see the video; it just showed up on my Twitter feed,” said Victoria Vegh, a senior human resource management major. “I honestly thought about it for the rest of the day. It was scary. I tried to stay off my phone for a bit because all I saw was the bus video and the Charlie video. Like, it’s disturbing, and I don’t want to see any of that.”
That video shows a woman, Zarutska, sitting on a train when a man sitting behind her, DeCarlos Brown Jr., stabs her neck on Aug. 22, 2025, in Charlotte, NC.
Violent media harms the human psyche. After adults view such violent media, they feel short-term effects of aggressive behavior, aggressive thoughts, angry feelings and physiological arousal, according to researchers at the University of Michigan.
“Short-term effects can include shock and perhaps anger or sadness. If angered, most do not become violent. If sad, many find others to share their grief to help them cope,” University Hospitals Family Physician, Dr. Deborah Nobilio-Vicario, wrote over text.
If you are feeling disturbed by violence on social media or news media, Nobilio-Vicario recommends counseling.
“For any college student who is deeply affected and having trouble coping, I definitely would advise them to seek emotional support,” she said. “Counselors understand how violence can affect people and can be helpful. [They] can help people learn effective coping mechanisms, so the trauma doesn’t incapacitate them.”
Kent State offers in-person and online counseling and psychological services. Students can call (330) 672-2487 to request a consultation or visit kent.edu/caps for more information.
Audrey McCarthy is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].