Which term describes an overreaction to perceived harms of media on youth?

• A. Desensitization
• B. Parody
• C. Moral Panic
• D. Normalization

Answer: (C)

Moral panic describes an overreaction to perceived harms of media on youth. It occurs when media coverage and public discourse intensify fears that media content will harm young people, portraying the threat as imminent and widespread and prompting calls for censorship or policy change. This phenomenon often involves sensational rhetoric, the creation of “folk devils,” and a focus on moral cleansing rather than balanced evidence. It’s not desensitization, which would mean becoming less responsive to media effects over time, nor parody, which uses humor to imitate media messages, nor normalization, which treats a behavior as ordinary. The emphasis here is on the exaggerated fear and social reaction to perceived media dangers affecting youth.