After the deadly Thailand school shooting: What are our children learning online?

What are our children learning when we are not watching?

The most frightening thing about the recent school shooting in Thailand is not only the violence itself. It is the possibility that, somewhere along the way, a child was learning things online that the adults around him may not have fully seen.

Police investigating the August 7 shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School outside Bangkok say the 14-year-old suspect had allegedly killed his grandparents before going to school, where he killed six more people and injured more than 20 before taking his own life.

But as investigators began examining his digital footprint, another disturbing detail emerged.

Police said the teenager had used social media to learn about firearms.

“According to witness interviews, the perpetrator had begun showing interest in studying the use of firearms for some time, about one to two years,” Atthapol Anusit, deputy commissioner of Provincial Police Region 1, told reporters.

Police said they had interviewed 17 witnesses. Investigators also found a knife in the boy’s bag, along with a firearm, spent cartridges and a personal computer.

After examining the computer, Atthapol said investigators found that the teenager “had watched social media content involving violence.”

But the police official also made an important qualification: there was no evidence yet that the boy had practiced shooting.

That distinction matters.

We should not conclude that watching violent videos makes a child violent. Millions of young people encounter violent material online without ever committing violence.

But we should not ignore what this case is telling us either.

Police also said a teacher had confiscated a BB gun from the boy last year after he brought it to school. Investigators said he had shown an interest in firearms for one to two years.

At some point, these were warning signs.

The question is: Who was watching?

And perhaps more importantly: Who was talking to him?

The internet is no longer “somewhere else”

For parents, the internet can sometimes feel like another room in the house — a room we cannot always enter.

Our children may be sitting quietly in their bedrooms, headphones on, apparently doing homework or playing games. But behind that screen could be a world of videos, influencers, online communities, algorithms and conversations that parents know very little about.

And the online world does not simply wait for children to search for something. Platforms can recommend what comes next.

That is why the American Psychological Association advises that children in early adolescence — typically ages 10 to 14 — should generally have adult monitoring of their social-media use.

Importantly, the APA does not define monitoring simply as spying. It describes it as “ongoing review, discussion, and coaching” around social-media content, while still respecting a young person’s developing need for privacy.

That distinction is important for parents.

We don’t need to become detectives. We need to become participants.

A conversation is also a safety measure

The World Health Organization says adolescence is a particularly formative period, when emotional and social development can make young people vulnerable to adversity. It estimates that one in seven people aged 10 to 19 experiences a mental health condition.

That does not mean troubled teenagers become violent. They don’t.

But it reminds us that adolescence is a period when children are still learning how to manage emotions, pressure, identity and difficult experiences.

And the internet has become part of that developmental environment.

UNICEF similarly warns that children can face serious risks online, including harmful content, cyberbullying, exploitation and other forms of violence. It stresses that protecting children in the digital environment requires governments, technology companies, educators, communities and parents to work together.

In the Philippines, this is not an abstract concern.

The UNICEF Philippines “Kids Online” study was specifically designed to examine how Filipino children navigate the internet, including their opportunities, risks and parents’ online-safety practices.

So perhaps the question for Filipino families is not whether our children are online.

They already are.

The question is whether are we online with them enough to understand what they are experiencing?

Don’t just ask, “How was school?”

As parents, we often ask our children simple questions.

“How was school?”

“Did you eat already?”

“Did you finish your homework?”

But perhaps we need new questions.

“What did you watch today?”

“Did you watch or see anything that scared you?”

“Who are you talking to online?”

“Has anyone sent you something disturbing?”

“What kind of videos does your feed keep recommending?”

And sometimes, the hardest question:

“Is there anything happening that you don’t feel comfortable telling me?”

These conversations may feel uncomfortable. Teenagers may roll their eyes. They may say, “It’s nothing.”

But we have to keep the door open.

UNICEF advises parents to establish clear rules, talk honestly with children about their online experiences and encourage them to tell a trusted adult when something online makes them feel upset, uncomfortable or scared.

That is not about controlling every click.

It is about making sure a child does not have to navigate the darkest parts of the internet alone.

Technology is not the enemy

We should also be careful not to turn this into an argument against technology.

The internet has transformed education, communication and access to information. It allows children to learn, create, connect and discover interests that may not exist within their immediate surroundings.

The problem is what happens when access grows faster than guidance.

The WHO has found that prevention education can help reduce violence against children online, including cyberbullying.

That tells us something important: education matters.

Schools need digital-literacy programs. Platforms need stronger safeguards. Governments need effective regulation. And parents need the tools and confidence to guide their children.

But ultimately, there is something technology cannot replace.

A relationship.

A child who knows that a parent will listen — even when the subject is uncomfortable — is more likely to have somewhere and most importantly someone to turn to when something goes wrong.

The lesson I take home as a parent

I cannot look at the Thai tragedy and pretend that I know everything that happened inside that 14-year-old’s mind.

I don’t.

The investigation is still unfolding. And watching violent content online, by itself, cannot explain a horrific act of violence.

But I can look at the warning signs and ask myself what would I do if I saw them in my own child?

If my child suddenly became fascinated with weapons, would I notice?

If my child repeatedly watched disturbing material, would I know?

If a teacher told me my child had brought an air gun to school, would I understand the seriousness of that moment?

And if my child became unusually withdrawn, angry, anxious or obsessed with something disturbing, would my first response be punishment… or a conversation?

That is perhaps the lesson I carry home from Thailand.

As parents, we cannot simply protect our children from the physical world and leave them alone in the digital one.

We have to be present in both.

Not by invading every private conversation.

Not by blaming every video, game or social-media platform.

But by knowing enough to recognize when something has changed — and caring enough to ask why.

Because sometimes protecting a child begins with something as ordinary as sitting beside them, putting down our own phone and asking:

“What are you watching?”

And then staying long enough to hear the answer.

That, too, is parenting in the digital age.

References and Sources

[1] Reuters. “Accused Thai school shooter had watched violent content online, police say.” August 9, 2026. Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; writing by John Mair; editing by Lincoln Feast.

[2] American Psychological Association (APA). “Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescence.” The APA recommends adult monitoring of social-media use during early adolescence, including ongoing review, discussion and coaching around online content.

[3] World Health Organization (WHO). “Mental Health of Adolescents.” WHO reports that approximately one in seven people aged 10–19 experiences a mental health condition and emphasizes the importance of supportive environments at home, in school and in the wider community.

[4] American Psychological Association (APA). “Social Media Brings Benefits and Risks to Teens. Psychology Can Help Identify a Path Forward.” The APA recommends minimizing adolescents’ exposure to social-media content that depicts or encourages harmful behavior, including harm to others.

[5] UNICEF Philippines, De La Salle University and DSWD. “Philippines Kids Online: The Online Experiences of Children in the Philippines: Opportunities, Risks and Barriers.” The study examines how Filipino children use the internet, including online opportunities, risks and the experiences of children and parents.

[6] UNICEF. “Protecting Children From Violence and Exploitation in Relation to the Digital Environment.” UNICEF highlights the shared responsibility of governments, technology companies, educators, parents, caregivers and young people in protecting children online.

[7] UNICEF Philippines. “Ingat sa Paggamit ng Internet.” UNICEF Philippines provides guidance for parents and caregivers on helping children navigate online spaces safely, including becoming familiar with the platforms and applications children use.

This is the layout I’ll follow going forward: normal paragraph blocks, with section headings where they already exist—not one sentence per line.