Letters | Don’t dismiss school violence as just boys being boys

Readers discuss the normalisation of violence on social media, making cutting-edge medical technologies available, and how to measure mental health

Reading Time:3 minutes

A culture of violence is evident on social media in the way people justify physical aggression. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 2:30pm, 5 Apr 2025

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Footage of students fighting at a school in Hong Kong went viral on social media recently. As a former school head prefect, I’m not surprised. Addressing disciplinary problems, including physical conflict, was part of my responsibilities alongside the discipline master.

Instead, what struck me were the comments left on the videos. A culture of violence is evident on social media in the way people justify physical aggression.

There were three types of comments. The first, which I term normalisation, directly or indirectly endorsed physical violence. They praised the violent behaviour or trivialised it as part of the nature of boys’ schools.

The second type prioritised the school’s reputation over addressing the issue. These comments denounced the social media user for posting the video, which could tarnish the school’s reputation, and called for it to be taken down.

The last type, which I found particularly problematic, juxtaposed the violence with mixed martial arts or wrestling games, implying that it was less offensive and less harmful than a “real” attack. Reframing physical violence with these words, or trying to make it seem playful, obscures the severity of physical harm and the underlying antagonism that provokes conflicts.