Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Founding Rector of Üsküdar University, evaluated the latest developments regarding “Violence and Bullying on Social Media Platforms” for Akit TV. Tarhan underlined that social media makes young people susceptible to influence, stating that good examples in society and family need to increase. Tarhan pointed out that unprotected and vulnerable children are negatively affected by the media's harsh behavior.
“The Increase in Violence in Society is a Global Phenomenon”
Evaluating the recent events for AKİT TV, Tarhan emphasized the increase in violence among young people. Tarhan said: “The increase in violence in society is a global phenomenon. There is a statistical increase in incidents of violence among young people. This increase was not so high in Turkey, but it has started to rise in recent years. There are three important reasons for the increase in violence in society. We call these group stress. If there is group stress in a company, frequent arguments occur, and anger incidents increase. For example, if one manager in that company supports one group of people, and another manager excludes another group of people, if there are dual relationships between them, and if the company's senior management cannot establish horizontal relationships, trust does not form. When trust does not form, there is no peace. When there is no peace, anxiety about the future arises, and arguments break out. In other words, a significant portion of violence in society stems from the lack of fair distribution. This has an effect that increases violence.”
“We Need More Projects That Touch People”
Underlining that social media makes young people susceptible to influence, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that good examples in society and family need to increase. Tarhan said: “People are currently seeing higher, unattainable examples. They enter into an excessive desire and expectation to reach these. As they see those expectations unfulfilled, they become aggressive, and this then turns into animosity towards wealth, which is a step further. Another reason for violence is unhappiness and loneliness. When people do not feel happy, they turn to substances. A young person who uses addictive substances, in particular, has impaired judgment. They cannot perform cost-benefit analysis. They exhibit extreme violent behaviors. They act without thinking of the consequences, easily falling under influence. Social media also makes young people susceptible to influence. Good examples in society and family need to increase. In this regard, we need to create projects that touch the soul. In other words, we need more projects that touch the soul, that touch people, not projects that touch stones and soil. Investments need to be made in these, otherwise, after a while, we will face serious social decay and moral degradation as a society.”
“These Three Need to Be Balanced”
Stating that culture should not only be understood as tangible culture, Tarhan drew attention to the importance of the spiritual dimension. Tarhan said: “For a person’s mental health, there are material accumulations, spiritual accumulations, and health. These three need to be balanced. Spiritual accumulations are values. Not lying, being honest, being hardworking, being sharing, not doing to others what you don't want done to you, changing ourselves instead of changing the world – all of these are present in our ancient teachings, in our spiritual accumulations. When we say culture, we understand tangible culture. However, when you say culture, there is a background dimension of meaning, a spiritual dimension. We should not neglect that. Investments in the spiritual realm are very important here.”
“If the Family is a Safe Space, Children Listen”
Stating that the family needs to be a safe space for children to listen, Tarhan said: “There are reasons why one cannot make a child listen. If a joint decision-making mechanism has not been formed in the family, if there is no democratic functioning within the family, the child will not listen. If there are non-totalitarian or non-authoritarian family approaches where criticism is allowed, where everyone does not have to agree, and where one's own opinion is not forced upon others, children will listen. Children of this era are not like children of the past. Old children come from a culture of 'don't ask, don't think, obey.' That is, they see asking questions as defiance. In these cultures, children internalize. This time, they ask social media. And they misguide them. If the family is a safe space, children will listen. If the family is not a safe space, you cannot make children listen. For this, we need to do whatever it takes to make the family a safe, warm environment. Parents should focus on this.”
“Unfortunately, the Media Behaves Harshly…”
Stating that unprotected and vulnerable children are negatively affected by the media's harsh behavior, Tarhan said: “The media has an accelerating and facilitating effect. The vital sustenance of the media consists of striking events and dramatic cases. It feels the need to take and publish these cases because they generate news value. While doing this, it should act with the sentiment of not causing harm. Unfortunately, the media behaves harshly in this regard. Because it behaves harshly, the most unprotected and vulnerable, children from broken families, and children when parents cannot communicate healthily, become victims. Young people have become victims of modernism. That is, if we had created our modernism in line with our own culture, these would be much less. We did not create a modernism suitable for our culture. However, if we could have preserved our human values, children would neither defy their parents nor could they establish a balance of freedom and responsibility that would allow them to contribute to the family.”
“Children Need Dialogue, Not Monologue”
Finally, Tarhan offered important advice to parents: Children need dialogue, not monologue. That is, they need good role models and companions on their journey. This does not mean being overly familiar. What does a companion do? They have a goal. They need to think about how to help while going towards that goal. Parents should focus on what needs to be done for the good of the family. They should not focus on shaping their child like a sculptor. They should make the home a safe space. If they do that, the child will make one or two mistakes, then understand their mistake and return. Let the home be a lovely, warm, and safe space. The biggest solution for this is to establish positive communication. If there is positive communication in the family, if words of appreciation, praise, and approval are used more often, crimes are not easily committed and violence does not occur in that home.”