In 2014 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, two 12-year-old girls attempted to murder a friend because, they said, they believed that they had to kill in order to win the favor of Slenderman, an online fictional character who terrorizes children. The case contributed to growing concern about children's and teens' engagement with online horror stories and urban legends. This included calls to ban Slenderman websites from school computers and sensationalist coverage of the attempted murder. What term would scholars of deviance use to describe this situation?

Question

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The term "moral panic" is used by scholars of deviance to describe situations where society reacts to a perceived threat to its moral values and interests with an intensity that seems out of proportion to the actual threat. The reaction to the attempted murder in Waukesha, including calls to ban Slenderman websites and sensationalist media coverage, exemplifies a moral panic surrounding children's engagement with online horror content.

In 2014 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Two 12-Year-Old Girls Attempted to Murder