When tragedy strikes, grief often fuels the search for someone, or something, to blame. Today, technology, social media, and video games are cast as easy targets. While these tools can amplify harmful voices, history shows violence long predates the internet. The real challenge isn’t banning tech but preparing youth with the digital literacy, resilience, and critical thinking skills to navigate it.

Anxiety in youth isn’t born in a vacuum, it often reflects what they see in us. Kids don’t just listen, they watch how we react, solve problems, and cope. When parents catastrophize or ban technology without explanation, it fuels worry. Calm modeling, open conversations, and digital literacy help shift anxiety from something that controls kids to something they can manage with confidence.

After the tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, renewed calls to “harden” schools are growing louder. But when security measures start looking like prisons, license plate readers, drones, and surveillance perimeters, we risk trading safety for constant monitoring. Should schools protect children, or police them? The line is thinner than we think.