Parents urged to ready their children for possible livestreamed execution reaching their phones
Earlier this month, the US government revealed its plans to livestream an execution for the first time in history and now, parents are being warned about how this might affect children who witness the event on their smartphones.
An official from the Department of Defense shared details of the upcoming execution of Nidal Hasan with the BBC, who reported that this is believed to be the first public execution in the nation in nearly a century.
Hasan, who is a former United States Army major, opened fire on armed forces in the Soldier Readiness Center of Fort Hood, in Killeen, Texas, killing 13 people and injuring a further 30.
Who will be able to view the livestreamed execution?
News of the upcoming livestream has sparked debate online around the ethics of broadcasting it, with the United Nations (UN) weighing in to warn that it would breach the prohibition of torture, while President Trump appeared to show some support for the idea.
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Now, experts are speaking out with advice on how parents and guardians can prepare their children for the potential of the execution reaching their phones.
As reported by AP News, Common Sense Media stated: “It will be easier to have a position, share your family’s values, and discuss things with a potentially overwhelmed child once you’ve taken the time to gather accurate, up-to-date info and assess your child’s needs.”
It has not yet been confirmed where the execution will be streamed but it is believed that it will be widely available to the public on the day.
Streaming platforms such as YouTube, Twitch and TikTok all prohibit graphic violence, with Twitch's official policy banning ‘use of weapons to physically… kill others’.
YouTube’s community guidelines prohibit all graphic violence and gore, and anything with ‘the intent to shock or disgust viewers’.
TikTok’s guidelines are slightly more complicated. While the platform prohibits content depicting ‘moments leading up to a serious accident or injury, even if the injury itself isn't shown’, they also state exceptions can be made for viewers over 18 to view ‘graphic footage of events that would otherwise violate our rules but are in the public interest to view, such as wars and major disasters’.
Nidal Hasan’s case
Following the attack at Fort Hood in 2009, Hasan was sentenced to death and incarcerated at the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas to await execution.
Hasan was initially scheduled to be executed by lethal injection, but Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that he had changed his mind on the matter, adding that the method of firing squad was a ‘no brainer’ to him.
Instead, Hegseth recommended that Hasan be executed by a US Army firing squad, which President Donald Trump has approved.