Mehtap GENÇ, Emre ÇIYDEM
Anatolian Current Medical Journal - 2026;8(5):903-916
Aims: To examine Y ouTube news comments related to juveniles involved in crime following school attacks in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş through thematic and sentiment analyses. Methods: This qualitative study analyzed 2.930 publicly accessible user comments posted under Y ouTube news videos concerning two school attacks in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş. The data were examined through thematic analysis and manual sentiment analysis. Results: Eight themes were identified: attribution of crime to the family, media and digital games as a source of violence; distrust toward the state and demand for school safety; fear of crime; concern about imitation and loss of safe space; punitive attitudes and dehumanization; mental illness and psychosocial explanations; religious and conspiratorial framing; and emotional reactions toward the victim and solidarity. Sentiment analysis revealed that neutral and anger-related comments predominated in both cases. In the comments concerning the Şanlıurfa incident, neutral (52.9%) and anger (33.3%) emotions were most prominent, whereas neutral (45.6%) and anger (40.1%) emotions were more frequent in the comments concerning the Kahramanmaraş incident. Family blaming, demands for harsher punishment, dehumanization of offenders, distrust toward institutions, fear of crime, and concerns about school safety were common. Conclusion: Online public reactions to juveniles involved in crime were largely characterized by anger, fear, blame attribution, and punitive attitudes. However, these reactions coexisted with strong expressions of empathy and solidarity toward victims. Interventions aimed at improving mental health literacy, reducing stigma, strengthening school-based mental health services, and enhancing media literacy may contribute to more balanced public perceptions of juvenile delinquency and mental disorders.
