As a student at Holy Cross School, I am deeply disturbed by a website - the Gauntlet. This website hosts extremely violent and graphic content, going as far as displaying videos where cartel members brutally disfigure individuals. This includes 19 other deeply traumatic videos that can immensely harm the mental well-being of teenagers who stumble onto it or are forced to watch it like my friend. His emotional distress after being exposed to such horrifying content was palpable. The website seems to insinuate that killing is acceptable, a dangerous notion that we cannot allow be perpetuated.

It’s a known fact that high levels of exposure to violent video content in children can lead to desensitization. Washington Post reported that according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, children exposed to violent content can suffer from emotional traumae. The Gauntlet is contributing to this growing concern.

This website MUST be taken down to protect our children and teenagers from graphic content. We cannot allow such a dangerous tool to be just a click away from our children. Let's join voices to protect our youth from such content and foster a safer digital environment. Please sign this petition to close The Gauntlet.