Why Donald Trump can teach primary school children how to avoid toxic group chats leading to violence
In his row with Elon Musk, US President Donald Trump used tactics designed to take the heat out of the situation. Scottish children need to learn how to do the same
The recent fall out between Trump and Musk had all the hallmarks of a Greek tragedy, a struggle between two characters, with ambition, hubris and a downfall, or as much of one you can have as a billionaire, all played out on a grand stage – or at least on social media.
But after accusations were levelled on social media, despite initially fuelling the feud and trading insults and threats, Trump eventually employed tactics to take the heat out of the fallout. De-escalation.
Few of us can have looked at the geopolitical events over the past weeks and not hoped for de-escalation – the art of reducing tension and potential conflict. Some issues, of course, require confrontation, so great or heinous are the matters at stake, but even then, we need strategies for engaging so that emotion and impulse are not brought to the fore.
‘Are you sure?’
It seems now that conflict is the thread that underpins our current status quo, whether on the streets, in schools, or across geopolitical borders – the concept of de-escalation has never been more needed.
Skilled negotiators and diplomats use that old technique of speaking to someone on the phone (yes, young people, that is a thing) or identifying others who can intervene to calm a situation, before the hard work starts in negotiations.
I rather like some of the prompts that are now on social media platforms, “are you sure you want to post this?”, although the evidence, at least to my reading, is that people seem to think “meh, yes”. Nothing engages more like outrage.
I am endlessly defending young people, the vast majority lead good lives, aspire, are engaged and so much more, yet I do lament their ability to pick up the phone and actually speak. Messaging group chats with large numbers of young people are fertile grounds for insults, sarcasm and misinformation.
Toxic, explosive, violent
Primary teachers have shown me these group chats and how toxic and explosive they can be, leading to fights in and around schools. Older groups prearrange meet-ups ending in violence, sometimes with catastrophic consequences.
We know that many teachers practice de-escalation techniques, but it is our young people who also need these tactics. Working out how to slow down encounters that they have online, how to step back, introduce a ‘circuit breaker’ to defuse or dampen down an interaction.
It’s never as simple as this; de-escalation takes emotional intelligence, an understanding of the role of ego and adrenaline. More critically, de-escalation involves the parts of the brain that aren’t always fully developed in young people, such as the prefrontal cortex.
This is often referred to as the reasoning part of the brain and is where our ability to make decisions, practice self-control and understand consequences is based. Unfortunately, one of the most developed parts of the teenage brain, the amygdala, is where all our primitive aspects are situated – aggression, impulse and fear. It’s a powerful influence on how young people act and behave.
Yet de-escalation is a skill that we must teach our young, older people and maybe even our leaders. In this febrile and online world, de-escalation shouldn’t feel like a radical act. It should become a key skill at every level, embedded in policy, schools and in our institutions.
Karyn McCluskey is chief executive of Community Justice Scotland