Prof. Michael Gilead from Tel Aviv University’s School of Psychological Sciences and his colleagues have been studying the effects of viewing videos with graphic content circulated since Hamas’ October 7 attack showing the horrors of the attack. Now, he says the results of viewing such content could be dire.
“It’s horrifying because it made people develop post-traumatic symptoms in clinical levels seen in diagnosed PTSD,” he told Ynet.
In a post he published on his X account on Monday, marking exactly one year since October 7, Prof. Gilead unequivocally advised against watching the graphic videos. "Don't rewatch the harrowing videos from that terrible day; they’re truly scarring. We analyzed long-term data from about a thousand people to examine the effects of watching the horrific videos from October 7 onward.”
“Watching them was specifically linked to a prolonged increase in post-traumatic symptoms, beyond the level of direct exposure to the events, baseline PTSD levels and a tendency to uncontrollably consume content,” he added.
To maintain global legitimacy for Israel's response against Hamas in Gaza, the Foreign Ministry released shocking footage of the massacre in Gaza border communities. Hundreds of videos were also shared on social media and gained unprecedented exposure.
"There are moral and ethical questions here that every individual must examine for themselves,” Prof. Gilead said. “I can’t offer advice in that context. It’s clear there’s importance in understanding the dangers present in the world and everyone must form their views based on their understanding of reality."
The extensive study on the psychological effects of exposure to such distressing content was led by doctoral student Maor Levitin, alongside Prof. Mario Mikulincer and Dr. Dvora Shmulewitz, with the assistance of Dr. Mattan Ben-Shachar.
"We studied the psychological impact of watching these videos. The study was conducted as part of a broader one by the Israeli Center on Addictions (ICA). We wanted to ask what the real mental impact of these videos is," Prof. Gilead explained.
As part of the study, data was collected from about a thousand people from a representative sample of the Israeli population. "We were all exposed to these videos to some degree — some more so and some less. What was unique about this sample was that there were baseline measurements of PTSD that people had before October 7, and we continued to follow up on them.”
“We also measured social media addiction, and we collected metrics on direct exposure to traumatic events after October 7. This allowed us to look at things in a relatively controlled and clean way. We examined the impact on those who watched uncensored videos in terms of clinical post-traumatic symptoms and the study indeed showed a significant effect."
Can watching these videos be both shocking and a motivator for action?
"It impacts people in the sense that it harms them; it scars them. We didn’t examine how it influences people's understanding of the significance of October 7,” Prof. Gilead said.
So, is it right or wrong to spread these videos?
"It’s complicated. As an academic, I don’t like to give black-and-white answers," Prof. Gilead explained. "There are many legal and moral considerations. There’s a discussion that needs to happen in the media, a discussion that parents need to have with their children, and a discussion we need to have with ourselves.
“People need to understand there are real mental health costs associated with watching these videos and immersing themselves in these horrors. Are we willing to pay that price? Do we believe we must pay that price? That’s the question, just like the question of how much we want to be exposed to the horrors and grief happening on the other side."
Prof. Michael GileadPhoto: Shachar Shachar, Tel Aviv UniversityAnd what about the addictive aspect of watching these videos?
Prof. Gilead noted the study didn’t show the content was specifically addictive, but previous studies have suggested people may fall into obsessive thoughts and seek out harmful information and videos when distressed, "returning to difficult times in an attempt to gain control. It doesn’t help people; all we can say for now is that it likely does something very harmful emotionally and mentally."
According to Prof. Gilead, the study is now in the peer-review stage and is expected to be published soon.
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