What happened
Images and video clips glorifying the perpetrator behind a school attack in Fagersta and mocking the victims are spreading on social media, reports Sveriges Radio. Since the information currently relies solely on Sveriges Radio's reporting, it is formally unconfirmed by other independent sources.
The content reaches students who experienced the attack themselves, who are shocked and horrified when the material appears in their feeds. Center mot våldsbejakande extremism (CVE) states that the review and moderation that should take place on social platforms is not functioning as it should, and the agency emphasizes that everyone must help ensure the content does not spread further.
Our analysis
Analysis: When tech companies' moderation fails, social media is transformed into a place where violence and perpetrators are elevated, while crime victims are subjected to humiliation in real time. For children and young people who survived a school attack to be forced to encounter glorification of the deed in their own digital environments constitutes direct retraumatization. Standard reporting often stops at noting the spread, but leaves out how the platforms' lack of accountability places the entire burden on young users to manage and protect themselves against extremism and hate online.
Source: Radio Sweden English