Instagram and other popular social media apps have opened many doors for outspoken individuals. These apps have given people a place to use their voices against music, art, politics and any other trending idea that comes about. It’s the new-age world for the First Amendment to be used, abused and appreciated. Even I have become wrapped up in the social media world of Instagram.

About a month ago, as I was scrolling I stopped on a picture posted by a distant friend. The picture was from the footage of the Columbine shooting, with a caption reading: “Is adult entertainment killing our children? Or, is killing our children entertaining adults?” It immediately phased me, as I didn’t even have a mental answer in that moment. This became one of those questions that weighed on my mind harder than ever. I thought about it day after day and week after week.

After digging and doing some research on the quote, I discovered it came from a Marilyn Manson interview. Immediately, I began to find humor in the irony of that. But I soon saw the bigger picture at hand. If Marilyn Manson can see that it’s a problem, why can’t we?

Everyday, we are exposed to violence. It’s in our news, our televisions and even our music. We have hit songs talking about turning situations into Columbine and getting gory like Tarantino movies. I can’t lie, these songs are likely favorited in my Spotify playlists. They’re catchy, they make the kids listen and the lyrics are memorable. It’s just how music works. But how many kids are going to listen to it and proceed to shoot up a school? Not many. According to Databank Indicator, school shootings in the years of 2011-12 only accounted for less than two percent of child homicides. I know times have changed since those years, but not enough to make child homicides from school shootings skyrocket.

Violence can be controlled and limited, but it cannot be inevitable. We see, we do. It’s in our nature. But, being able to tell right from wrong is what most of us have been taught. When I was younger and I watched a scary movie, my parents reminded me that it’s only a movie, an illusion at most. So when I got older, and heard a song talking about things I couldn’t possibly imagine doing myself, I’d know it’s just a song. Half of these artists have never actually done a drug or even touched a gun, but if the song makes money, they did their job.

See, even music is an illusion itself. Take some offensive lyrics, throw some melodious beats on top and watch the kids eat it up. What they don’t mention is the way their music affects the children. It has kids believing they belong to the culture of the music, belonging in fake gangs created to re-image what they heard. Because, trapping and codeine is life, apparently. It’s the circle of today’s music.

As a mother myself, I worry about my child’s future too. Having a daughter is scary when you know she’ll become a teenager herself one day. She’s not picky about the music she dances to and is no stranger to reciting every curse word she hears. Do I worry that her music taste will make her into a curly-headed ax-wielding murderer? No, but I know that it’ll have some type of effect on her. But, as long as I’m here to teach her wrong from right and fantasy from reality, I can trust her judgement.

So, what’s the question at hand again? Is adult entertainment killing our children? Or, is killing our children entertaining adults?” This here, is not a one-answer question. It is not a multiple-choice question, either. It’s a question to make you think.  It is a modern-day-which-came-first, chicken-or-the-egg, question.

So I ask you, if adult entertainment isn’t killing our children, then who or what is? And, if killing our children isn’t entertaining the adults, then why do they still promote it?