Utah’s governor encouraged the public to stay away from social media in the wake of Charlie Kirk assassination this week — calling apps like X, Facebook and TikTok a “cancer on our society” and telling citizens to “touch grass.”
Gov. Spencer Cox said the bloody, horrifying images of the 31-year-old conservative activist’s Wednesday shooting death, which are still circulating on social media, are too brutal for people to see and will only lead to psychological damage.
“We are not wired as human beings — biologically, historically — we have not evolved in a way that we are capable of processing those types of violent imagery,” the governor argued.
Cox, 50, serving in his second term as Utah’s governor, also referenced images of the fatal “gruesome stabbing” of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a light-rail train in Charlotte, N.C., that “went viral” as another reason to avoid social media platforms.
“This is not good for us,” he said of watching the killing of human beings. “It is not good to consume.”
“Social media is a cancer on our society right now,” Cox added. “I would encourage people to log off, turn off, touch grass, hug a family member, go out and do good in your community.”
Earlier in the press conference, Cox shared several quotes attributed to Kirk, including a June X post from the Turning Point USA founder, in an effort to temper the online discourse surrounding the assassination.
“When things are moving very fast and people are losing their minds, it’s important to stay grounded. Turn off your phone, read scripture, spend time with friends, and remember internet fury is not real life. It’s going to be ok,” Cox said, quoting Kirk.
The governor said he viewed Kirk’s assassination — allegedly at the hands of suspected killer, Tyler Robinson, 22 — as a “watershed in American history” and that it will be up to Americans to determine “what kind of watershed.”
“Is this the end of a dark chapter in our history, or the beginning of a darker chapter in our history?” Cox said.
The governor added that the public now has the choice to either “escalate” or “find an off-ramp,” and he urged people to choose the latter.
