Professor Gilead from Tel Aviv University's School of Psychological Sciences has been studying the psychological impact of watching videos containing graphic footage of Hamas' murderous rampage on October 7, 2023. The study is part of a broader study by the Israeli Center on Addictions (ICA).
In an interview with Ynet, Gilead explained that "We wanted to ask what the real mental impact of these videos is."
Prof. Gilead explained that they collected data from approximately 1,000 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 – It’s horrifying because it made people develop post-traumatic symptoms in clinical levels seen in diagnosed PTSD."
On October 7, 2024, on the first anniversary of October 7, he advised people on X: "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 also said, "“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."
According to Gilead, the study didn’t show that the graphic content itself was specifically addictive. But previous studies show that people might actually look for 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."
Ynet contributed to this article.
