• Quarter of violent content seen by teenage children is pushed by social media platforms 

• Teens most likely to see violence on TikTok and X 

• 1 in 9 see content featuring zombie knives or machetes 

Social media companies are driving the visibility of fights, weapons and violent threats on children’s screens, according to a new report. 

The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) commissioned a survey of 10,000 children aged 13 to 17 years old in England and Wales to explore their experiences with violence, both online and offline. The findings reveal that 70% of teenage children have encountered real-life violent content online in the past year. 

Teenagers are frequently exposed to violent content pushed by social media companies. Among those who reported seeing such material, 25% said they found it because social media platforms promoted it to them through features like ‘Newsfeed’, ‘Stories’ and ‘For You’ recommendations. Only 6% actively searched for it. 

Half said they saw it on someone else’s profile or feed, and over a third (35%) had the content directly shared with them.  

TikTok and X users report the most violence 

TikTok is the platform where teenage children are most likely to encounter real-life violent content, with 30% of all 13 to 17-year-olds and 44% of TikTok users reporting exposure to violence on the platform. 

While X is less commonly used by teenagers, it ranks second after TikTok in terms of the proportion of its users exposed to real-life violence. Although only 22% of the teenage children said they use X, 43% of those users reported seeing violent content in the past 12 months. 

Following TikTok and X, Facebook (33%), Snapchat (32%), and Instagram (31%) also have significant numbers of teenage users exposed to violent content. 

These findings highlight the responsibility of social media companies in regulating exposure to violent content. Platforms that utilise algorithms to promote content to users are particularly impactful, as this method increases the likelihood of exposure compared to direct messaging, where violent content is less frequently shared. 

Types of violence seen online 

The YEF’s research also sheds light on the type of violence teenage children are seeing on social media. The most common form is footage of physical fights between young people, with over half of teenage children (56%) reporting they’ve seen such videos. Over a third (35%) reported witnessing content involving weapons, while a similar proportion (33%) encountered material featuring ‘gang activity’. Additionally, 29% have seen posts glorifying attacks on young people, and 27% of all teenage children have encountered sexually violent content or threats. 

The impact of seeing weapons online  

Among the teenage children who encountered weapons-related content, 74% saw content featuring knives, equating to 26% of all 13 to 17-year-olds in England and Wales. Specifically, 44% encountered content featuring kitchen knives, while 34% saw zombie knives or machetes, which translates to 1 in 9 of all teenage children. 

The vast majority (80%) of those who saw weapons on social media said it made them feel less safe in their local areas, while 68% said it made them less likely to go out. Over half (58%) said that seeing weapons online made them feel that carrying weapons was a normal part of everyday life. Alarmingly, nearly two-fifths (39%) said it made them more likely to carry a weapon themselves. 

Does violence online lead to violence offline? 

The YEF’s research found that 16% of children aged between 13 and 17 years old reported perpetrating a violent incident in the past 12 months. Of these, nearly two-thirds (64%) said that social media played a role, including online arguments leading to in-person violence, comments exacerbating conflicts and children saying things online that they wouldn’t say face-to-face. 

Jon Yates, CEO of the Youth Endowment Fund, said: “Social media companies can no longer pay lip service to the real-life violence that children face on their platforms. This content is not what children want to see, yet most are exposed to it and it’s having an impact. To ensure the well-being of our children, we must limit their exposure to potentially harmful content on social media.” 

What works to prevent violence 

The YEF Toolkit identifies several effective strategies that could help children and young people navigate the potential pitfalls of social media. One such strategy is social skills training, which equips children with techniques for managing impulsiveness and aggression. Research shows that this approach can reduce young people’s involvement in crime, on average, by 32%. 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can also help children recognise and manage negative thoughts and behaviours and can reduce involvement in crime by as much as 27% according to studies. 

Goutham Lali, a YEF Youth Advisory Board member comments: “Seeing incidents of targeted hate crime on social media, be it public confrontations or harassment, can really impact how people feel. It’s unsettling to see these moments pop up, and it’s made me more conscious of my surroundings. I find myself being more cautious about the areas I go to and the situations I might avoid.” 

The YEF’s annual Children, Violence and Vulnerability report offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of children’s experiences with violence in England and Wales. The findings in this release are from the second report in the series, What role does social media play in violence affecting young people? The first report in this year’s series is Who is affected by violence?