Why is Violence Increasing? Hidden Factors Revealed
It’s not your imagination that the number of senseless shootings and murders has dramatically increased since 2000. I only had time to look at the statistics for school shootings as I prepared to write this, but here are the stats for the number of school shootings by decade:
1950s – 32; 1960s – 100; 1970s – 49; 1980s – 79; 1990s – 123; 2000s – 88; 2010s – 259; and so far in the first half of the 2020s – 287.
This is absolutely insane, and I want to shed some light on possible causes. What changed during this time period?
Nutrition and Behavioral Health
First, let’s look at nutrition. When I was studying to become a certified nutritionist in the early 90s, one of my textbooks was titled Nutritional Guidelines for Correcting Behavior by Barbara Reed, PhD. Dr. Reed worked in the Ohio youth correctional arena and, because her PhD was in nutrition, she questioned whether poor nutrition was contributing to violent behavior in the youth she worked with.
She was able to ban sugar and dairy from the correctional facility’s nutrition program, plus added B vitamins and reduced processed foods from the inmates’ diets. The improvements in behavior – less fighting, stealing, etc., and the lowered recidivism were dramatic and proved her theories. Her program was so successful, it was expanded throughout the state of Ohio.
What changed nutritionally from 2010 until today (the period of the highest increase in school shootings)? During these years, more and more processed foods were added to the diet, including GMOs. People were also consuming fast foods and processed foods much more regularly.
The Impact of Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs)
For the next factor, let’s look at electromagnetic fields (EMFs). All kinds of electronic frequencies increased tremendously during the 2010s – this is when we got Wi-Fi, “smart” meters, and started ramping up to 3G and 4G phone capacity.
The number of cell phone towers and signal amplifiers exploded. Alexa came into the picture, as did Wi-Fi amplification devices for inside the home.
In the 2020s, we introduced 5G and more “smart” appliances in our homes. A scientist named Martin Pall was able to uncover the mechanisms of irritation and damage to the brain from all these EMFs, associating exposure with increasing rates of ADHD and Alzheimer’s. And, of course, kids spend much more time on screens and less time outdoors.
These electromagnetic fields irritate the brain and nerves in the body, keeping people anxious and stuck in “Go” mode, unable to easily relax.
Psychiatric Medications and Behavioral Shifts
The next factor has to do with psychiatric medications. I was practicing during the time that diagnoses of ADD, ADHD, anxiety, and depression were increasing in the mid-to-late 1990s, and with that came higher numbers of our children being medicated.
(Keep in mind that for those with sensitive nervous systems, the electromagnetic fields and processed foods could be part of what was behind the ADD/ADHD increases. But I digress…)
Those numbers continued to rise throughout the 2000s and 2010s, until today it’s estimated that nearly 1 in 10 children aged 3-17 are medicated with a psychiatric drug. The most recent data from 2021-2023 shows that 16% of adolescents aged 12-17 report taking a medication for their mental health in the last year.
These drugs are not limited to young people either. It’s estimated that 7.75 million adults are on medication for ADHD, and 16.5% take medications for anxiety or depression. Many of these drugs even carry black box warnings because of the increased risk of suicide or violent behaviors.
Social and Cultural Shifts
Finally, there are social factors to consider.
Please understand that I’m speaking about trends here, and there will be many exceptions in our society. When you look at the statistics, you can see the trends. This is also a big subject, and you can likely think of additional social factors I could add to this list, but here are the ones that come to mind for me:
1. Decline in Personal Responsibility
Ask any teacher who’s been in the field for a few decades, and they will confirm that there’s been a shift away from personal responsibility and toward victimhood. When I was a kid, if a person got in trouble at school, they got in twice as much trouble when they got home!
Now it’s quite common that when a child gets in trouble at school, the parent will complain about the school and teachers rather than taking responsibility themselves. This does not just happen in school; lowered responsibility and higher victimhood pervade many areas of our society.
2. Decreased Spiritual Involvement
Americans have also become far less involved in their church or other spiritual pursuits. In the 1950s, 49% of people attended church regularly. As of 2023, that number has dropped to 30%. A greater number of Americans don’t consider themselves to be associated with a spiritual faith at all, rising from 9% in 2000 to 21% by 2023.
3. Rise of Social Media
Social media is another social factor that has changed, with usage increasing dramatically from 5% of adults in 2005 to 72% as of 2022, and 73% by early 2025. The 2010s saw a significant increase, with 50% of Americans using social media by 2011, followed by continued growth into the 2020s.
4. Polarization of the Population
Growing up in the ’50s-’70s, I don’t remember the news broadcasts being so polarizing, although there was certainly much social unrest in the ’60s.
I searched and learned about the Fairness Doctrine. Here is an excerpt from an article in The Science Survey:
“Enacted in 1947 and lasting until 1987, the Fairness Doctrine was in place in the United States. The doctrine required licensed radio and television broadcasters to present balanced and unbiased coverage of controversial issues to the American people…
In 1987, the doctrine was repealed… In 2011, all of the doctrine’s conditions were lifted, allowing broadcasting stations and news networks to report biased or unbiased, without going through bias regulations.”
5. The COVID Factor
The final social factor I will mention is COVID. Every age group had its own traumatic experiences during this time, and I don’t need to expound on that. I know you understand.
Looking at why violence has been increasing is much like the way I look at why a person’s health has deteriorated. We cannot blame just one factor; it’s a combination of multiple influences that stretch the limits to a breaking point.
What Can We Do About It?
Now the question is, what can we do about it? The first thing, in my opinion, is to take responsibility for influencing what we can do.
In the nutrition arena, we can make changes for ourselves and our families. We can become active in advocating for healthier school lunches. We can share recipes that help others make better choices. Vote with your dollars; it really does work.
When it comes to electronics, we can take steps to minimize exposure in our own homes and share information with those open to it. Increasing our exposure to sunlight helps our bodies to heal from electronic stimulations.
Spiritually, we can pray and be active in social betterment activities. We can get out in nature more, smile at strangers, and be kind to each other. Remember, every action, positive or negative, has a ripple effect out into society. The more of us that drop these pebbles of positivity, the better for all of us.
