Gaming and Social Media: The Digital Crime World
Video games are now a £90 billion industry, and many reward criminal behaviour through gameplay mechanics. Grand Theft Auto literally gives you points for theft, murder, and vandalism - and 86% of parents admit they don't follow age restrictions.
By age 18, American kids have witnessed 16,000 murders in games, films, and TV. That's seriously concerning when you consider that 73% of children aged 2-17 play video games. Some psychologists argue this normalises violence, though others say games just let people channel aggression safely.
Social media spreads crime-related content incredibly quickly, especially on Twitter and Facebook. Around 1.5% of all tweets contain crime-related content, though this doesn't actually correlate with real crime rates.
The platform can be a double-edged sword though. In 2015, a Facebook photo helped solve a murder case when someone posted a picture wearing a belt that matched the murder weapon. So while social media can influence criminal behaviour, it also helps catch criminals.
Think About It: Social media content often reflects fear of crime rather than actual crime trends - so what you see online might not match reality.