Is the Rise of Gun-Based YouTube Content a Cause for Concern?
By Movieguide® Contributor
Gun-related content is finding a mainstream audience on YouTube, and while most of these videos highlight a growing hobby in America, parents should be cautious if they allow their kids to access this content.
GunTube, as those in the genre call it, has always been a part of the platform. Until recently, however, its popularity was relatively niche, drawing only the most hardcore gun enthusiasts. But in recent years, more and more people have started shooting for hobby, skyrocketing the popularity of gun-related content.
Many of the people now taking an interest in guns fall into demographics outside of the typical gun owners. In the past, shooting has been a hobby of those previously in the military or young people who had it passed down by older generations. However, now normal civilians are interested and learning the basics from scratch. Many GunTubers help them through the learning curve, informing them about types of guns, how to shoot, essential accessories and more.
“A lot more African Americans are getting into [shooting],” Mark Leeber, a range officer, told The New York Times. “They’re taking a different level of interest at all age groups. It’s an interesting dynamic because, you know, when I started, it was a bunch of white guys or middle-aged white guys.”
While many GunTubers appreciate this new diversity — many being a part of the new wave themselves — others are simply capitalizing on the opportunity to make more money that comes with more views. Unfortunately, this has caused some GunTubers to promote dangerous thinking and to be controversial on purpose to drum up engagement.
This has had a negative effect on social media algorithms as the websites begin to promote this content to people who should not be receiving it. A study from the spring of 2023 found that children were targeted by GunTube if they had previously shown interest in video games. The majority of the videos pushed to these young users revolved around violent gun-related content such as videos about school shootings.
READ MORE: NEW STUDY FINDS YOUTUBE TARGETS CHILDREN WITH GUN-RELATED CONTENT
These violent videos have certainly had an effect on the audiences they capture. The would-be Donald Trump assassin who made an attempt on the president’s life in July was wearing the merchandise of a popular GunTuber when he was killed. Meanwhile, Luigi Mangione, the man who killed United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, used a gun that was assembled with the help of 3D printed parts. Clearly the ease of access to gun content is becoming a problem as people in a disturbed mental state use it to execute vile actions.
While the right to own a gun is part of America’s Constitution, parents should be cautious when allowing their children to watch gun-related content, especially if they have little knowledge themselves about the topic. As is the case with any education, knowing the source and their motives behind their content is important. Furthermore, parents should have consistent conversations with their children about what they are learning from these videos to ensure that they are not taking in harmful information.
Movieguide®’s founder Dr. Ted Baehr has performed extensive research into the impact violent media has on our children. It is clear that consuming violent media promotes violence in real life that can shape the way a person thinks and views the world. This lines up with Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6 where He says, “the eye is the lamp of the body.” Thus, parents should ensure that the content their children is consuming is edifying, rather than destructive to their soul.
READ MORE: RAISING MEDIA-WISE CHILDREN IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL STREAMING
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