In light of recent events, it has become apparent that the restrictions in place on social media platforms regarding vulgar content have been ineffective. It has become especially evident in light of the recent Charlie Kirk shooting, which was witnessed by millions by means of multiple social media platforms including TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
“I’ve seen videos that don’t always have warnings and jump straight to something gory or disturbing” said Grace Constantelos ‘26 “and it takes time for the videos to be deleted or sometimes disturbing content isn’t deleted.”
While TikTok has technological and human reviews before pushing content out to public eyes, the system does not always accurately remove explicit content. Millions of people are exposed to vulgar content before social media platforms can block it. In fact, other platforms, such as X, do not restrict all explicit content, so the raw video of Charlie Kirk’s murder is still accessible. Charlie Kirk’s instance is just an example of violent and inappropriate content being posted on social media platforms such as TikTok
“I was scrolling on TikTok and once saw a person decapitated,” said Westin Lukes ‘26.
Social media platforms need better restrictions in place for explicit content. People, regardless of their age, should not be able to scroll through platforms and have access to footage of a shooting or any other inappropriate content. Social media influences its users in so many ways, so videos containing inappropriate content, such as violence or sexual relations, should be blocked before reaching the eyes of its users.
“My sister who is a freshman knows so much more explicit stuff that I never knew when I was her age and she sees it all on TikTok,” said Riley Omlor ‘26.
Everyone has access to what is posted online and can learn from the information they are exposed to. While some information may be beneficial for teens and young adults to know, the age at which young adults are exposed to mature content is constantly decreasing. Social media provides an outlet for teens to be exposed to sensitive matters prematurely.
While social media platforms take down content showing raw images and videos of explicit content, the blurred content still stays up. The blurred content still leaves viewers with a good indication of what the video is featuring, and unlike the raw content, it is not flagged as inappropriate.
Social media has desensitized the American population to violence and death. So much explicit content exists on social media, and even when blood or gore is blurred out, the act of violence is still implied. Social media gives a platform for true violence to be seen and shared. Because witnessing violence through the media has been normalized, people have become desensitized to negative real-life occurrences.
Social media platforms need better content restriction protocols to ensure that explicit content is not accessible to its users.
