Mid-April was a period of apprehension and tragedy for Turkey and the world at large. This started with sporadic gunfire and subsequent suicide of a high school student at Sanliurfa province of southeastern Turkey on Tuesday April 14, 2026. The student had roamed the corridors of his previous school in the same region, shooting at will as he pleased. At the end, he killed himself and injured sixteen others.
While memories of the event at Sanliurfa province were still fresh and reports were still being gathered, Wednesday, April 15, 2026, came with intense sorrow. A total of eight children and a teacher were shot dead in the city of Kahramanmaras by a 14-year-old student, suggesting the very first deadly mass shooting in a school environment in the country. Incidents like this are atypical for countries like Turkey; thus, there have been various reactions across the country.
Most especially, the incident has called our attention to the question of how we can mitigate what can be called digital casualty. It questions how every stakeholder can preserve the purity and innocence of minors in the hyper-digital and cyber-social world that the modern world has become.
For emphasis, forensics after the events had exposed how the social media accounts of the April 15 ‘little’ assailant had venerated Elliot Rodgers, an American gunman who murdered six Californian students in 2014. It also established how the boy had already announced of an impending attack “in the near future” and how he often played war games in his leisure times. These pieces came together to make sense when it was already too late on April 15 and the fact that he was meeting a psychologist could not forestall the havoc.
In truth, the contemporary world has made quite a bit of progress when it comes to the ease of doing things. Life has become easy. We now live in an era of artificial intelligence and internet of things. We now inhabit a world of freedom and liberty. We are now residents of a world of algorithms and deepfakes, and a world where machines ask humans to verify if they are humans or not. While there are many positives to today’s world, the downside is that it has led to a set of anomalies like never before. Faith now becomes tested. Culture becomes challenged. Morality becomes worthless. Strangers become close while families become distant. There is now an obsession. There is brain drain. And yes, information has become problematic taking the forms of misinformation, disinformation and malinformation.
Many of these anomalies are more worrisome because of anonymity and asynchronicity. In other words, because the internet allows the rank and files to say and to act without any serious filters, it has become a tool for anyone willing to utilise or exploit. If this is the dilemma confronting adults who are of sound minds, what becomes of minors to whom we owe social responsibility? This, therefore, establishes the need for us to think and rethink our status quo.
Rethinking our Cyber Lives in Children’s Presence
Hardly is there an average home today without a TV set and satellites to keep up with the buzz of the entertainment world. Movies, documentaries, animations, shows, comedies, musicals, amongst others have become daily routines for family sittings in today’s world. Even when many of these entertaining windows categorically state age limitations to regulate exposure of minors and teenagers, many parents and guardians are often not conscious of the regulations. In the worst cases, some are not even present when their children stay glued to some of these visuals. The capitalist style that many communities have evolved into has successfully distracted many guardians from making adequate social investments in child upbringing and societal values.
This unfiltered access to the entertainment world at home is further compounded by increased access to smartphones for these children. Many children nowadays now have Facebook accounts and Instagram profiles. They belong to all forms of forums that adults are not even aware of. They are now found on Snapchat and TikTok. This explains why many high school students actively participate in whatever is trending on TikTok, even right from their classrooms and school corridors. Interestingly, some have even become celebrities and role models to their fans; minors becoming role models to thousands of adults. Such an irony!
While not disputing that modern technologies offer us multivariate benefits and privileges, various assessments have shown them to be double-edged swords. As they can make significant positive impacts, they can also factor in serious negative consequences. A typical example is the debate around the world today on the propriety of elementary and high school students using artificial intelligence in their studies. While some opinions would suggest its use can benefit the students quite well, many critics would argue that it not only destroys critical thinking skills but also suppresses innovative spirits. This is the same with the use of smartphones and computers for social interactions.
Though arguments would continue to be canvassed from either of the two divides, events like that of April 15 seem to offer us clarity on how lethal the negative consequences of minors’ and teenagers’ exposure to technologies can be on the world. While the event has triggered reactive measures from the Turkish government, culminating in the arrest of about 150 people and the blocking of over one thousand social media accounts and groups for connections to crime-related posts, it also invites us to deep reflections on what we can do to make our world a better place for our minors.
A clear model is there in the Qur’an in the approach of Luqman al-Hakim to his child. The wise Luqman had outlined a list of salient moral principles which he was convinced could guide and guard his child’s conduct in the society. Such principles cut across spirituality, accountability, social responsibility and humility. When we look at these central themes, it can be argued that the contemporary ordeals of minors’ exposure to technologies can actually be surmounted if the teachings of Luqman are imbibed. Without mincing words, exposure of minors to digital infrastructure needs to be filtered, and it has become clear that they have no business on social media. This would indeed practically embody Goal 16 of the SDGs.
*The views expressed in this content are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of İdrakpost.
0 Comment