Moral Panics

What is a moral panic?
A moral panic is an unjustified fear of somthing which tends to find expression on a wide scale in the public arena; Blaming an object or activity for wider social evils/ills.


Typically they feature:

Anxieties about the young and working class 'getting out of hand'

fear of new technologies

fear of the modern world and nostalgia for the 'golden age' in the past

assumption of copycatting

sex and violence: young people finding out about the adult world

Some well known moral panics from the past



Childs Play and video nasties

Mods and Rockers

Internet porn

Effects on society


These moral panics cause a big reaction in society.