All We Want Is Revenge: How Social Media Fuels Gun Violence Among Teens

Published

2 years ago

August 28, 2023

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This story also ran on NPR. It can be republished for free.

Juan Campos has been working to save at-risk teens from gun violence for 16 years.

As a street outreach worker in Oakland, California, he has seen the pull and power of gangs. And he offers teens support when theyve emerged from the juvenile justice system, advocates for them in school, and, if needed, helps them find housing, mental health services, and treatment for substance abuse. (Oona Tempest/KFF Health News)

But, he said, hes never confronted a force as formidable as social media, where small boasts and disputes online can escalate into deadly violence in schoolyards and on street corners.

Teens post photos or videos of themselves with guns and stacks of cash, sometimes calling out rivals, on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok. When messages go viral, fueled by likes and comments, the danger is hard to contain, Campos said.

Its hundreds of people on social media, versus just one or two people trying to guide youth in a positive way, he said. Sometimes his warnings are stark, telling kids, I want to keep you alive. But, he said, it doesnt work all the time.

Shamari Martin Jr. was an outgoing 14-year-old and respectful to his teachers in Oakland. Mixed in with videos of smiling friends on his Instagram feed were images of Shamari casually waving a gun or with cash fanned across his face. In March 2022, he was shot when the car he was in took a hail of bullets. His body was left on the street, and emergency medical workers pronounced him dead at the scene. (Oona Tempest/KFF Health News)

In Shamaris neighborhood, kids join gangs when theyre as young as 9 or 10, sometimes carrying guns to elementary school, said Tonyia “Nina” Carter, a violence interrupter who knew Shamari and works with Youth Alive, which tries to prevent violence. Shamari was somewhat affiliated with that culture of gangs and guns, Carter said.

Shamaris friends poured out their grief on Instagram with broken-heart emojis and comments such as “love you brother I’m heart hurt.”

One post was more ominous: “it’s blood inna water all we want is revenge.” Rivals posted videos of themselves kicking over flowers and candles at Shamaris memorial.

Such online outpourings of grief often presage additional violence, said Desmond Patton, a University of Pennsylvania professor who studies social media and firearm violence. (Oona Tempest/KFF Health News)

More than a year later, Shamaris death remains unsolved. But it’s still a volatile subject in Oakland, said Bernice Grisby, a counselor at the East Bay Asian Youth Center, who works with gang-involved youth.

“There’s still a lot of gang violence going on around his name,” she said. “It could be as simple as someone saying, ‘Forget him or F him’ that can be a death sentence. Just being affiliated with his name in any sort can get you killed.”

The U.S. surgeon general last month issued a call to action about social medias corrosive effects on child and adolescent mental health, warning of the profound risk of harm to young people, who can spend hours a day on their phones. The 25-page report highlighted the risks of cyberbullying and sexual exploitation. It failed to mention social medias role in escalating gun violence.

Acutely aware of that role are researchers, community leaders, and police across the country including in Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, Oakland, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. They describe social media as a relentless driver of gun violence. (Oona Tempest/KFF Health News)

Michel Moore, the Los Angeles police chief, called its impact dramatic.

What used to be communicated on the street or in graffiti or tagging or rumors from one person to another, its now being distributed and amplified on social media, he said. Its meant to embarrass and humiliate others.

Many disputes stem from perceived disrespect among insecure young adults who may lack impulse control and conflict-management skills, said LJ Punch, a trauma surgeon and director of the Bullet-Related Injury Clinic in St. Louis.

Social media is an extremely powerful tool for metastasizing disrespect, Punch said. And of all the causes of gun violence, social media-fueled grudges are the most impenetrable. Email Sign-Up

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Calls for Regulation

Social media companies are protected by a 1996 law that shields them from liability for content posted on their platforms. Yet the deaths of young people have led to calls to change that. (Oona Tempest/KFF Health News)

When you allow a video that leads to a shooting, you bear responsibility for what you put out there, said Fred Fogg, national director of violence prevention for Youth Advocate Programs, a group that provides alternatives to youth incarceration. Social media is addictive, and intentionally so.

People note that social media can have a particularly pernicious effect in communities with high rates of gun violence.

Social media companies need to be better regulated in order to make sure they arent encouraging violence in Black communities, said Jabari Evans, an assistant professor of race and media at the University of South Carolina. But he said social media companies also should help dismantle the structural racism that places many Black youth in circumstances that resign them to want to join gangs, carry guns to school, or take on violent personas for attention.

L.A.s Moore described social media companies as serving in a reactionary role. They are profit-driven. They dont want to have any type of control or restrictions that would suppress advertising.

Social media companies say they remove content that violates their policies against threatening others or encouraging violence as quickly as possible. In a statement, YouTube spokesperson Jack Malon said the company prohibits content reveling in or mocking the death or serious injury of an identifiable individual. (Oona Tempest/KFF Health News)

Social media companies said they act to protect the safety of their users, especially children.

Rachel Hamrick, a spokesperson for Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said the company has spent about $16 billion in the past seven years to protect the safety of people who post on its apps, employing 40,000 people at Facebook who work on safety and security.

We remove content, disable accounts and work with law enforcement when we believe there is a genuine risk of physical harm or direct threats to public safety, Hamrick said. As a company, we have every commercial and moral incentive to try to give the maximum number of people as much of a positive experience as possible on Facebook. Thats why we take steps to keep people safe even if it impacts our bottom line.

Meta platforms generated revenue of over $116 billion in 2022, most of which came from advertising.

A spokesperson for Snapchat, Pete Boogaard, said the company deletes violent content within minutes of being notified of it. But, Fogg noted, by the time a video is removed, hundreds of people may have seen it. (Oona Tempest/KFF Health News)

Even critics acknowledge that the sheer volume of content on social media is difficult to control. Facebook has nearly 3 billion monthly users worldwide; YouTube has nearly 2.7 billion users; Instagram has 2 billion. If a company shuts down one account, a person can simply open a new one, said Tara Dabney, a director at the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago.

Things could be going great in a community, Fogg said, and then the next thing you know, something happens on social media and folks are shooting at each other.

Playing With Fire

At a time when virtually every teen has a cellphone, many have access to guns, and many are coping with mental and emotional health crises, some say its not surprising that violence features so heavily in childrens social media feeds.

High school fight pges are now common on social media, and teens are quick to record and share fights as soon as they break out.

Social media puts everything on steroids, said the Rev. Cornell Jones, the group violence intervention coordinator for Pittsburgh. (Oona Tempest/KFF Health News)

Like adults, many young people feel validated when their posts are liked and shared, Jones said.

We are dealing with young people who dont have great self-esteem, and this love they are getting on social media can fill some of that void, Jones said. But it can end with them getting shot or going to the penitentiary.

While many of todays teens are technologically sophisticated skilled at filming and editing professional-looking videos they remain naive about the consequences of posting violent content, said Evans, of the University of South Carolina.

Police in Los Angeles now monitor social media for early signs of trouble, Moore said. Police also search social media after the fact to gather evidence against those involved in violence.

People want to gain notoriety, Moore said, but theyre clearly implicating themselves and giving us an easy path to bring them to justice.

In February, New Jersey police used a video of a 14-year-old girls vicious school beating to file criminal charges against four teens. The victim of the assault, Adriana Kuch, died by suicide two days after the video went viral.

Preventing the Next Tragedy (Oona Tempest/KFF Health News)

Glen Upshaw, who manages outreach workers at Youth Alive in Oakland, said he encourages teens to express their anger with him rather than on social media. He absorbs it, he said, to help prevent kids from doing something foolish.

Ive always offered youth the chance to call me and curse me out, Upshaw said. They can come and scream and I wont fuss at them.

Workers at Youth Advocate Programs monitor influential social media accounts in their communities to de-escalate conflicts. The idea is to get on it as soon as possible, Fogg said. We dont want people to die over a social media post.

Its sometimes impossible, Campos said. You cant tell them to delete their social media accounts, he said. Even a judge wont tell them that. But I can tell them, If I were you, since youre on probation, I wouldnt be posting those kinds of things.

When he first worked with teens at high risk of violence, I said if I can save 10 lives out of 100, Id be happy, Campos said. Now, if I can save one life out of 100, Im happy.

For an illustrated version of this article, click here.

Liz Szabo: lszabo@kff.org, @LizSzabo Related Topics Mental Health Multimedia Public Health Children's Health Guns Contact Us Submit a Story Tip

World

Liverpool football star Diogo Jota killed in car crash

Published

36 mins ago

July 4, 2025

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Liverpool football star Diogo Jota killed in car crash

Liverpool star Diogo Jota has died in a car crash.

The 28-year-old Portuguese forward died in the accident in the early hours of Thursday morning near Zamora, in northwestern Spain.

His brother, Andre Silva, was also killed in the crash on the Rias Bajas Highway (A-52) near Palacios de Sanabria, heading towards Benavente.

Follow the latest updates following Diogo Jota’s death

Jota and Silva were driving to Santander to catch a ferry back to England ahead of the start of Liverpool’s pre-season training on Monday, CNN Portugal reports.

The news outlet reports that Jota was advised against flying back to England due to recent surgery.

Police said the accident happened at 12.30am when the Lamborghini the pair were travelling in veered off the road.

“A vehicle left the road and everything indicates a tyre burst while overtaking,” the Guardia Civil in Zamora told Sky Sports News in a statement.

“As a result of the accident, the car caught fire and both people were killed. Pending the completion of forensic tests, one of the deceased has been identified as Diogo Jota, a Liverpool FC player, and his brother, Andre Felipe.”

A Spanish government source told the PA news agency that police were investigating the crash as “a possible speeding incident”.

Police added that no other vehicles were involved in the incident.

Pictures of the aftermath of the crash showed debris scattered along the side of the road, including what appeared to be charred parts of the vehicle.

It comes just 10 days after the player married his long-term girlfriend, Rute Cardoso.

He had three children.

The footballer, who played as a striker for Liverpool, began his career in his native Portugal and played at Atletico Madrid in Spain before moving to England.

He joined the Merseyside club from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020.

Jota played an important role throughout his five years with the Reds, including scoring six times in Liverpool’s recent Premier League-winning season.

He scored a total of 47 times in 123 matches for the club. He also played 49 times for the Portugal national side, scoring 14 times.

Silva, 25, played for Penafiel, a Portuguese second division club.

Teammates and football legends pay tribute

A statement issued by Liverpool FC said the club was “devastated” by their player’s death.

“The club have been informed the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre,” the club said in a statement.

“Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss.

“We will continue to provide them with our full support.”

The Portuguese football federation said it was “utterly devastated by the deaths”.

“Far beyond being an exceptional player, with nearly 50 caps for the national team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all teammates and opponents, someone with a contagious joy and a reference within his own community.

“We have lost two champions. The passing of Diogo and Andre Silva represents irreparable losses for Portuguese Football, and we will do everything to honour their legacy daily.”

The Portugal and Spain women’s teams held a minute’s silence for Jota and Silva before their match in the Women’s Euros in Switzerland on Thursday evening.

It came after Liverpool’s manager Arne Slot said in a statement: “What can anyone say at a time like this when the shock and the pain is so incredibly raw? I wish I had the words but I know I do not.

“All I have are feelings that I know so many people will share about a person and a player we loved dearly and a family we care so much about.

“My first thoughts are not those of a football manager. They are of a father, a son, a brother and an uncle and they belong to the family of Diogo and Andre Silva who have experienced such an unimaginable loss.”

Jota’s former manager at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, offered his thoughts in a post on Instagram.

“This is a moment where I struggle! There must be a bigger purpose, but I can’t see it,” he said.

“I’m heartbroken to hear about the passing of Diogo and his brother Andre. Diogo was not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father.

“We will miss you so much. All my prayers, thoughts and power to Rute, the kids, the family, the friends and everyone who loved them.”

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk posted on Instagram: “What a human being, what a player, but most importantly what an unbelievable family man.

“You mean so much to all of us and you always will!”

Cristiano Ronaldo, Jota’s captain in the national team, said: “It doesn’t make sense. Just now we were together in the National Team, just now you had gotten married.

“To your family, your wife, and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world.

“I know you will always be with them. Rest in Peace, Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you.”

Jota’s Liverpool teammates Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai have also paid tribute.

Szoboszlai wrote: “Words cannot describe how heartbroken and devastated we are… Your smile, your love for the game will never be forgotten.

“We will miss you so much, but you will stay with us forever, on and off the pitch.”

Jota’s former teammates Trent Alexander-Arnold, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Thiago Alcantara have also shared messages on social media.

Mane posted a picture of himself and Jota with heartbreak emojis.

It came as Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish wrote on X: “You feel helpless, knowing there’s so little we can do to ease the pain for his wife of just two weeks, his three beautiful children.”

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard shared an image of Jota on Instagram and wrote: “Condolences to his family and friends during this incredibly sad time.”

Liverpool owners Billy Hogan, John Henry and Tom Werner, who are part of the Fenway Sports Group, said: “This tragic situation and the reality of it is truly shocking, devastating and has left us numb with grief.”

Football icon Lionel Messi has also paid tribute, sharing an image of Jota on Instagram with the message “QEPD” – short for the Spanish phrase ‘que en paz descanse’, which translates to “may he rest in peace'”.

European football clubs such as Barcelona and AC Milan have also shared messages, along with basketball player LeBron James and tennis icon Rafael Nadal.

Meanwhile Liverpool FC have opened a physical and digital book of condolence for supporters and members of the public to sign.

The physical book is at the club’s stadium, in the Anfield Road Stand reception area until Sunday evening.

An avid video gamer, Jota also owned an eSports team and regularly streamed on Twitch.

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