Persistent news coverage of school shootings can take a significant toll on teenagers' mental health, according to a new study co-authored by a University of Massachusetts Amherst media violence researcher. The study, published in the Journal of Children and Media, also reveals that cognitive coping strategies may inadvertently exacerbate stress rather than alleviate it.
The research examined the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, as a case study, surveying 942 U.S. adolescents aged 13 to 17 to analyze the relationship between general news exposure and mental health, finding that adolescents who consumed more news reported higher rates of depression.
Erica Scharrer, professor of communication at UMass Amherst, Nicole Martins of Indiana University Bloomington and Karyn Riddle of the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that ongoing exposure to coverage of the Uvalde shooting, in which 19 children and two teachers were killed, was strongly associated with post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, such as heightened anxiety, fear and trouble concentrating.
Contrary to expectations, the study shows that cognitive coping strategies—such as reassuring oneself of personal safety—exacerbated PTSD symptoms.
"We were so sad to learn this. It went exactly against what we had hypothesized," Scharrer says. "We found the more that the young people in our sample engaged with those cognitive coping techniques, the more likely they were to have a PTSD-related response to hearing about the Robb Elementary School shooting."
She says the findings signal that traditional coping strategies may reflect or intensify existing distress rather than mitigate it.
"Even the act of having to tell yourself that this is unlikely to happen to you, suggests that you're thinking about it," Scharrer explains.
Using qualitative responses, the research also exposes specific aspects of the Uvalde shooting coverage that teenagers found most disturbing.
Many respondents cited the young age of the victims as particularly upsetting. Others noted that the possibility of a similar tragedy occurring in their own schools produced heightened anxiety. Participants also expressed fear and anger regarding the delayed intervention by law enforcement personnel.
One respondent noted, "The idea that children could fall prey to such senseless violence was horrifying." Another added, "This could happen at my school, and that scares me a lot."
The researchers call for a reevaluation of how school shootings are covered in the media, noting that sensationalized reporting and graphic imagery may amplify distress among young viewers. They urge news outlets to prioritize responsible, fact-based reporting to avoid exacerbating trauma.
Scharrer acknowledges that the findings present a challenge for parents seeking to help their children process omnipresent headlines about school shootings.
"It's quite smart to let your young person guide the way by saying, 'I am here if you want to talk about it,' instead of you guiding them," she advises. "There's other research showing that sometimes even well-intentioned parents and caregivers who bring up tragedies in the news with their kids can exacerbate the negative emotional response."
The research also encourages mental health professionals to incorporate questions about news consumption into screenings for depression and PTSD, particularly for adolescents in communities affected by violence.
More than 378,000 young people have experienced gun violence at school since the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado. In 2022 alone, the U.S. averaged nearly one school shooting per week.
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