'Not a joke', outrage over social media trend mocking school stabbing incident

SHAH ALAM – There’s a limit to humour and making light of someone’s death crosses every line imaginable.

What was once a space for laughter and creativity on social media has now become, for many, a reflection of a society losing its sense of empathy and respect.

Recently, a user known as @rajitapulan on the Threads platform voiced her frustration over what appears to be a disturbing trend on TikTok, where young users have been mocking the recent school stabbing incident in Petaling Jaya that claimed the life of a female student.

“What a disturbing trend. Young people making light jokes of violence against women only serves to normalise and perpetuate it within our culture. What’s even more shocking is that, in the third picture, it’s mentioned that a religious leader made the same joke.

“It’s not about condemning the perpetrator, but it’s troubling that women are being told to simply accept a confession just to protect themselves. When will we start telling men to handle rejection without letting their egos get bruised?” the user wrote on Saturday.

Attached to her post were several screenshots showing TikTok videos, many of which were believed to have been made by school students who joked about the violent incident, some even appearing in their school uniforms.

In the clips, users could be seen making disturbing remarks such as, “If I confess, you better accept it if you don’t want to get stabbed.

Others wrote, “To those who get confessed to, you better just accept or you might just get stabbed,” while one caption read, “Ustaz Firdaus said, next time if someone confesses to you, don’t reject them, just accept or they might kill you.”

@rajitapulan said she was deeply disturbed to see that many of the posts were made by underage users. Her post has since sparked widespread reaction online.

“The fact that it's kids posting this is more disgusting and disappointing. This shows that kids nowadays seriously have something wrong with their brains,” the user commented.

Another user, @prettybitsoflife, wrote: “Saw this too… honestly, it’s messed up. Some of the younger gen are turning real tragedies into jokes just to chase trends and get on the For You Page (FYP).

The same user added that many people today seem to lack empathy and are merely seeking attention.

“They clearly need help. Don’t bother commenting; it only boosts their reach and feeds their ego. What they need goes way beyond advice,” she said.

Meanwhile, @nrashknnnnn stressed the importance of parental supervision, saying:

“Underage kids shouldn’t have access to social media or smartphones, parents need to monitor and be aware of what their children are posting online.

It is understood that @rajitapulan has since reported the disturbing TikTok posts to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

“I've already reported the posts to MCMC,” she said in a comment.

Her post has garnered significant attention and support, with many social media users echoing her frustration and calling for stricter monitoring of online content involving minors.

As the debate continues, one message stands clear, jokes about violence, especially at the expense of victims, are not jokes at all.

Previously, the tragic incident on Oct 14 saw a 16-year-old female student found dead inside a school toilet in Bandar Utama.

Authorities believe she was repeatedly stabbed by a 14-year-old male student from the same school. The attack reportedly took place between 9.20am and 9.35am inside cubicle number two of the school restroom.

Selangor police chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar said a preliminary post-mortem conducted at the University Malaya Medical Centre revealed that the victim died from multiple stab wounds to the chest and neck.

The male student had been charged in the Magistrate’s Court in Petaling Jaya on Thursday with the murder of a 16-year-old female student in a stabbing incident at a secondary school in Bandar Utama last week.