Sept. 16, 2025, 1:05 p.m.
The murder last week of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University has sparked an ongoing wave of discussions about political violence, who or what is most to blame, and how we got here as a country.
But there’s far more to the story of how we got here than politics.
Kirk’s suspected killer is 22 years old. The same day, a 16-year-old in Colorado shot two of his classmates at school, then killed himself. A couple of weeks prior, a 23-year-old killed two children and injured many others at a Minneapolis Catholic school before also committing suicide.
These seemingly unrelated acts of violence have a few things in common: They were highly public, extremely violent, and methodically planned, and they were committed by very young people.
Research on mass shootings shows that since 2020, the average shooter’s age is 22. It was 39 in the 1980s. Homicides committed by kids under age 18 increased 65 percent between 2016 and 2022. Suicide and homicide death rates have dramatically increased among the 15-24 age group over the last decade, including a 91 percent increase in death by homicide between 2014 and 2021 for those ages 15-19.
The kids are most decidedly not all right.
Politically, young people are more likely to accept violence: Just 51 percent of those ages 18-29 say it’s never justified, a figure nearly 20 points lower than any other age group. Those under age 45 are more likely to say it’s OK to be happy about a public figure’s death.
Politics determine their goals in life and who they are willing to date, and young people are more likely than older age groups to say it’s OK to cut contact with a friend or family member over politics. They’re also more likely to say it’s OK to break rules and norms when change is needed.
Politics is more divisive and personal for young people because our current political environment is all they’ve known. People under age 25 probably weren’t aware of politics until 2016 or so. They don’t remember 9/11 or the unity that came in the immediate aftermath—short-lived as it was before the divisive Iraq war. For those who remember, it was impressive to see President George W. Bush’s approval rating skyrocket to 90 percent.
The last three presidential elections have seen one side insisting the nation is in decline and we need to Make America Great Again, while the other side argues that MAGA is a destructive force in our country. Every election now has dire stakes: If your side loses, the country might completely collapse. That type of existential rhetoric wasn’t the norm in 2012 and earlier, although every election was still billed as “the most important election of our lives.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has attributed political violence and Kirk’s assassination to social media, telling everyone to “log off, turn off, and touch grass.” He’s not wrong. We know that social media algorithms amplify the most inflammatory content. According to Pew Research, just over half of Americans get news from social media sources, which means they are likely to see viral, angry, and extreme political posts. If people believe the other side is violent, they are more likely to support political violence from their own side.
Jonathan Haidt’s recent book The Anxious Generation details how constant connection to the internet and social media causes tremendous mental health problems for kids. Hiding behind a screen rather than interacting face-to-face can bring out the worst in everyone, whether kids or adults. Social media dehumanizes us and desensitizes us to things like videos of graphic murders.
Today’s younger generation grew up in a toxic stew of violence—or at minimum, the specter of violence. They did live-shooter drills at school from an early age, which puts a damper on feelings of safety and security for children when they need safety and security the most, in a place where they should always be able to feel safe and secure.
Community and social ties are more tenuous for young people than in the past. Gen Z went through two years of disrupted socialization and education because of the pandemic. Fewer people attend religious services, eliminating another source of community for this generation. Right now, over 10 percent of 16-24-year-olds are unemployed, more than double the national rate of 4 percent. College students are full of anxiety over safety issues and what they will be able to do after graduation—understandably so, on both counts.
In all the data, young people are screaming for help. Will we hear them, or will we just keep pointing fingers?
Contributing editor Natalie Jackson is a vice president at GQR Research.
