# List of moral panics

This is a list of events that fit the sociological definition of a moral panic.
In sociology, a moral panic is a period of increased and widespread societal concern over some group or issue, in which the public reaction to such group or issue is disproportional to its actual threat. The concern is further fueled by mass media and moral entrepreneurs. Moral panics may result in legislative and/or long-lasting cultural changes in the societies where they occur. The concept was first introduced into the field of sociology by Stanley Cohen in his 1972 book and has since been expanded by other researchers. Moral panics are different from irrational hysterias.

## 18th century and before

| title | concern | causes | location | time | refs |
| Blood libel | The false idea that Jews engage in the kidnapping and murder of gentile children | | Europe | | |
| Witch-hunts | That some individuals with supernatural powers, "witches", were causing harm to people in their communities | Unsubstantiated rumors and accusations of witchcraft | Europe, North America | Middle ages to the 1700s | |

## 19th century

| title | concern | causes | location | time |
| Anti-Catholic panic | That Catholics were conspiring against American interests | Increased immigration of Catholics to the United States, pre-existing anti-Catholic attitudes, political tension between the U.S. and European powers | United States | 1840s, 1850s |
| Garroting panic of the 1860s | Robberies involving the practice of garroting | Media coverage of garroting robberies | United States | 1860s |
| White slavery scare | The prostitution of White women | Allegations regarding the prostitution of White women by private businesses, release of Traffic in Souls | United Kingdom, United States | 1880s (UK), early 1900s (US) |

## 20th century

| title | concern | causes | location | time |
| Comic book panic | That comic books were negatively influencing young people | Popularization of comic books among the youth, publication of Seduction of the Innocent | United States | 1930s – 1950s |
| Sexual psychopath panic | Child sexual offending by "sexual psychopaths", a contested psychological category of sex offenders | Sensationalistic media coverage of child sex crimes | United States | 1930s – 1950s |
| Homosexual panic | That homosexuals were trying to "promote homosexuality" to society, including children | | United States, United Kingdom | 1950s – 1990s |
| Lavender scare | That homosexuals were conspiring against American interests | Societal tensions during the Cold War, the belief that homosexuals were sympathetic toward the Soviet Union | United States | 1950s |
| Mods and rockers panic | Hooligan activities by the two youth groups | Sensationalistic media coverage of the conflicts between the groups | United Kingdom | 1960s |
| War on drugs | Drug trafficking and consumption | Increase of drug consumption in society, media alarmism | Global | 1970s – present |
| Sex offender panic | Child sex crimes perpetrated by sex offenders and pedophiles | Reoccurrence of high-profile child sexual abuse scandals | United States, United Kingdom | 1970s – present |
| Violent video games panic | That video games were influencing children into committing violent acts | Popularization of violent video games among the youth, discredited psychological theories about games | United States | 1970s – 1990s |
| Mugging panic | Muggings in public streets, especially by young Black males | Media alarmism, 1973 Birmingham mugging attack | United Kingdom | 1970s |
| Satanic panic | That supposed Satanic cults were engaging in child sexual abuse rituals | Unsubstantiated Satanic ritual abuse rumors and allegations, tabloid journalism | United States | 1980s |
| Missing children panic | Child abduction by strangers in public places | Murder of Adam Walsh, media sensationalism | United States | 1980s |
| Dungeons & Dragons panic | That some RPG table-top games, especially D&D, were leading young people into drug use and Satanism | Popularization of mythical-themed role-play games, Christian and BADD activism, other controversies | United States | 1980s |
| Day-care sex-abuse hysteria | That some day-care centers were engaging in Satanic child sexual abuse | Increased usage of day-cares among employed women with young children | United States | 1980s – 1990s |
| AIDS panic | AIDS dissemination, particularly by gay men | AIDS pandemic of the 1980s, Conservative activism | Global | 1980s – 1990s |
| "Wilding" panic | Physical and sexual assaults in public streets by ethnic youth gangs | Rape of Trisha Meili, media sensationalism | United States | 1989 – 1990s |
| Dangerous dogs panic | Dog attacks against humans, especially by pit bulls | Sensationalistic media coverage of dog attacks | United Kingdom | late 1980s – 1990s |
| Harry Potter panic | That the book series was leading children into witchcraft and occultism | The novels' themes of magic and witchcraft, anti-occult activism against the series | United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia | 1990s – 2000s |
| Internet moral panic | The dissemination of legal and illegal pornography on the internet, online criminal activities | Popularization of the Internet, media sensationalism | Global | 1990s – 2000s |
| School shooting panic | School shootings | Increased media coverage of school shooting cases | United States | 1990s – present |

## 21st century

| title | concern | causes | location | time |
| Islamic terrorism panic | Arab and Muslim terrorism | September 11 attacks | United States | Early 2000s |
| Human trafficking panic | Sex trafficking and human trafficking | Reoccurrence of high-profile human- and sex-trafficking scandals | United States, United Kingdom, Australia | 2000s – present |
| Internet predator panic | Sexting between adults and minors on the internet | Popularization of social media among young people, misreadings of forensic statistics by mass media | United States, United Kingdom | 2000s |
| Gender ideology panic | That LGBT activists were introducing children to "gender ideology" in schools | Increase of neo-Conservative activism in Latin America since the 1980s | Latin America | 2000s – 2010s |
| Blue Whale Challenge | | | | 2016 |
| QAnon panic | That some politicians and celebrities engaged in Satanic child sexual abuse rituals | Conspiracy theories fueled by social media algorithms | United States | 2010s |
| Anti-LGBT panic | LGBT child grooming and genital mutilation of cisgender children by gender professionals | Increase in the number of children identifying as LGBT, unsubstantiated theories spread by anti-LGBT activists | United States, Argentina, Brazil | 2010s – present |
| Teen use of smartphones and social media | Depression, anxiety and suicide thought to be caused by use of social media and cell phones | Increasing use of cell phone ownership by teens; publication of The Anxious Generation by Haidt in 2024. | Global | 2010s – present |