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List of moral panics

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This is a list of events that are argued to fit the sociological definition of a moral panic.

In sociology, a moral panic is a period of increased and widespread societal concern over some group or issue, in which the public reaction to such group or issue is disproportional to its actual threat. The concern is further fueled by mass media and moral entrepreneurs who promote or popularize the issue. Moral panics may result in legislative and/or long-lasting cultural changes in the societies where they occur.

The concept was first introduced into the field of sociology by Stanley Cohen in his 1972 book Folk Devils and Moral Panics and has since been expanded by other researchers.[1][2][3] Moral panic as a group phenomenon is different from irrational hysteria which is featured more in individuals.[4]

18th century and before

More information title, concern ...
title concern causes location time refs
Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire Threat to public order and religious traditions Rejection of imperial cult, accusations of cannibalism and incest Roman Empire AD 64-313 [5][6][7]
Blood libel The false idea that Jews engage in the kidnapping and murder of gentile children [clarification needed] Europe [clarification needed] [8]
Witch-hunts That some individuals with supernatural powers, "witches", were causing harm to people in their communities Unsubstantiated rumors and accusations of witchcraft Europe, North America Middle Ages to the 1700s [9][10]
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19th century

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title concern causes location time refs
Anti-Catholic panic That Catholics were conspiring against American interests Increased immigration of Catholics to the United States, pre-existing anti-Catholic attitudes, political tension between the U.S. and European powers United States 1840s, 1850s [11][9]
Garrotting panics Robberies involving the practice of garroting Media coverage of garroting robberies United Kingdom, United States 1860s [12][13]
Dime novels panic That dime novels were pushing the brains of younger people too much Popularization of dime novels among the youth, increased media coverage among Puritans United States 1870s–1890s [14]
White slavery scare The prostitution of White women Allegations regarding the prostitution of White women by private businesses, release of Traffic in Souls United Kingdom, United States 1880s (UK), early 1900s (US) [15][16]
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20th century

More information title, concern ...
title concern causes location time refs
Amusement park panic That amusement parks were dangerous to young people and could injure or kill them An increase of new amusement parks being built, news reports of young children being injured on rides United States 1910s–1930s [17][18]
Comic book panic That comic books were negatively influencing young people Popularization of comic books among the youth, publication of Seduction of the Innocent United States 1930s–1950s [19][20]
Sexual psychopath panic Child sexual offending by "sexual psychopaths", a contested psychological category of sex offenders[21] Sensationalistic media coverage of child sex crimes United States 1930s–1950s [21][22]
Homosexual panic That homosexuals were trying to "promote homosexuality" to society, including children [clarification needed] United States, United Kingdom 1950s–1990s [23][24]
Poisoned candy myths That malevolent strangers were lacing Halloween candy with drugs, poison, or sharp objects such as razor blades[25] Social upheaval, greater racial integration, and improved status for women, reflected societal questions about who was trustworthy.[26] United States 1950s-1990s [25][26]
Lavender scare That homosexuals were conspiring against American interests Societal tensions during the Cold War, the belief that homosexuals were sympathetic toward the Soviet Union United States 1950s [16][21]
Television panic Addiction caused by minors watching television Popularization of television among the youth, widespread fears around the product Global 1946-1960s [citation needed]
McCarthyism Communist infiltration and subversion in the United States government, Hollywood, etc. Red Scare during the Cold War United States 1947–1959 [citation needed]
Mods and rockers panic Hooligan activities by the two youth groups Sensationalistic media coverage of the conflicts between the groups United Kingdom 1960s [27][2]
War on drugs Drug trafficking and consumption Increase of drug consumption in society, media alarmism Global 1970s–present [4][28]
Sex offender panic Child sex crimes perpetrated by sex offenders and pedophiles Reoccurrence of high-profile child sexual abuse scandals United States, United Kingdom 1970s–present [29][30][22][31]
Overpopulation panic That the world is overpopulated, has gone past the planet's carrying capacity and that birth rates are too high Publication of The Population Bomb, increase of cases of falling birth rates, new development in countries across the world Global 1970s–present [32][33][34]
Violent video games panic That video games were influencing children into committing violent acts Popularization of violent video games among the youth, discredited psychological theories about games United States 1970s–1990s [35][36]
Mugging panic Muggings in public streets, especially by young Black males Media alarmism, 1973 Birmingham mugging attack United Kingdom 1970s [37]
Satanic panic That supposed Satanic cults were engaging in child sexual abuse rituals Unsubstantiated Satanic ritual abuse rumors and allegations, tabloid journalism United States 1980s [38][39]
Missing children panic Child abduction by strangers in public places Murder of Adam Walsh, media sensationalism United States 1980s [37][40][41]
Dungeons & Dragons panic That some RPG table-top games, especially D&D, were leading young people into drug use and Satanism Popularization of mythical-themed role-play games, Christian and BADD activism,[42] other controversies United States 1980s [43][44]
Day-care sex-abuse hysteria That some day-care centers were engaging in Satanic child sexual abuse Increased usage of day-cares among employed women with young children United States 1980s–1990s [45][46]
AIDS panic AIDS dissemination, particularly by gay men AIDS pandemic of the 1980s, Conservative activism Global 1980s–1990s [47][48]
"Wilding" panic Physical and sexual assaults in public streets by ethnic youth gangs Rape of Trisha Meili, media sensationalism United States 1989–1990s [49][50]
Dangerous dogs panic Dog attacks against humans, especially by pit bulls Sensationalistic media coverage of dog attacks United Kingdom late 1980s–1990s [51][52][53]
Michael Jackson allegations That Michael Jackson was a child sexual abuser and potential pedophile Evan Chandler filing a lawsuit against Jackson, Release of Leaving Neverland in 2019 United States, Canada, United Kingdom 1993, 2018–2020 [54][55][56][57][58]
Harry Potter panic That the book series was leading children into witchcraft and occultism The novels' themes of magic and witchcraft, anti-occult activism against the series United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia 1990s–2000s [59][1]
Internet moral panic The dissemination of legal and illegal pornography on the internet, online criminal activities Popularization of the Internet, media sensationalism Global 1990s–2000s [60][61][62][63]
School shooting panic School shootings Increased media coverage of school shooting cases[64] United States 1990s–present [65][66]
Y2K bug panic That the world would end on New Year's Day 2000 and computers would malfunction [clarification needed] Global 1990s–2000 [67]
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21st century

More information title, concern ...
title concern causes location time refs
Islamic terrorism panic Arab and Muslim terrorism September 11 attacks United States Early 2000s [68][69]
Human trafficking panic Sex trafficking and human trafficking Reoccurrence of high-profile human- and sex-trafficking scandals United States, United Kingdom, Australia 2000s–present [70][71][72][73]
Brain maturity and young adult capability That young adults are incapable of making decisions, and that brains don't mature until the age of 25 Brain matures at 25 myth Global 2000s–present [citation needed]
MySpace panic Potential concerns about cyberbullying and predators Rise of the use of MySpace among teens, release of To Catch a Predator Global 2005–2010 [74]
Internet predator panic Sexting between adults and minors on the internet Popularization of social media among young people, misreadings of forensic statistics by mass media[74][75] Global 2000s [74][76][75]
Gender ideology panic That LGBT activists were introducing children to "gender ideology" in schools Increase of neo-Conservative activism in Latin America since the 1980s Latin America 2000s–2010s [77][78]
2012 phenomenon That transformative or catastrophic events would occur on or around December 21, 2012 Release of 2012 in 2009, spread of the rumor throughout the news and social media Global 2000s–2012 [citation needed]
Knife crime panic United Kingdom, and especially London, was experiencing a knife crime epidemic Introduction of a new category of "knife-related crime", increase in knife-related crimes, over-reporting by media of knife killings United Kingdom 2007–2008; 2018 [79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87]
Going dark That privacy tools such as end-to-end encryption shield cybercriminals, such as child predators, drug traffickers or terrorists, from law enforcement, thereby preventing them from accessing them Increased adoption of cryptography, legislation in several countries attempting to limit privacy, anonymity and encryption, arrest and indictment of Pavel Durov in France on 24 August 2024 Global Mid 2010s–present [citation needed]
Blue Whale Challenge [clarification needed] [clarification needed] [clarification needed] 2016 [citation needed]
2016 clown sightings [clarification needed] [clarification needed] United States 2016 [citation needed]
Elsagate That children could end up watching inappropriate content labeled as "for kids" on YouTube Increase of "kids" channels featuring inappropriate or disturbing content Global 2016–2018 [citation needed]
Momo Challenge hoax [clarification needed] [clarification needed] [clarification needed] 2018 [citation needed]
QAnon panic That some politicians and celebrities engaged in Satanic child sexual abuse rituals Conspiracy theories fueled by social media algorithms United States 2010s [88][89]
Anti-LGBT panic LGBT child grooming and genital mutilation of cisgender children by gender professionals Increase in prevalence of LGBT children, unsubstantiated theories spread by anti-LGBT activists United States, United Kingdom, Argentina, Brazil 2010s–present [90][41]
Fast food prices That fast food prices are being overinflated and the quality of fast-food restaurants are decreasing An increase of social media and news coverage of customers frustrated over the prices and economic inflation Global 2010s–present [91][92]
Teen use of smartphones and social media Depression, anxiety and suicide thought to be caused by use of social media and cell phones Increasing use of cell phone ownership by teens; publication of The Anxious Generation by Haidt in 2024 which resulted in global age verification laws and social media bans Global 2020s–present [93][94][95][96][97][98][99]
Gentle parenting That parents are using gentle parenting to act more like a companion than an actual parents and they aren't parenting their kids properly with a lack of disclipine Increasing media coverage of cases of permissive parenting, calling them gentle parenting instead Global 2020s–present [100][101][102]
Blind boxes That blind boxes are causing children to gamble and can be addictive Increase of blind box production; Labubu toys Global 2020s–present [citation needed]
Needle spiking People spiking others via hypodermic needle Post-COVID-19 pandemic anxiety; reporting on social and legacy media Europe 2021–2024 [103][104][105][106]
Child safety on Roblox Concern over the game exposing children to violent and sexual content as well as facilitating child sexual abuse. An increase in news coverage covering cases of both violent and sexual content on the platform, child sexual abuse occurring through the platform, Schlep getting banned from Roblox Global 2022/2023–present [107][108][109]
Brainrot Children watching low-quality content with little to no educational value A increase of mass media reports about "brainrot" and channels featuring such content Global 2022/2023–present [110][111]
Artificial Intelligence Use of artificial intelligence to replace workers, generate misinformation and possible existential risks from artificial superintelligence. OpenAI releasing chatGPT in November 2022, instantly putting powerful text-generation into the hands of millions. Global Mid 2010's–present [112]
Data Centres Data Centres will consume huge quantities of water and energy leading to shortages and environmental damage. Rapid growth of generative AI and alarming, sometimes exaggerated statistics regarding power and water consumption. Global 2024–present [113]
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