Moral Panic. The short of it is that the media creates a panic over something, usually something so insane that you have to wonder what the big deal is, and turns that issue/event into the worst thing to ever happen in the history of ever. For example, the Satanic Panic of the 1980's where people playing Dungeons and Dragons were summoning REAL DEMONS. Satanists were eating babies and sacrificing humans to Luicfer and they were coming for you and your family next. This went on in Southern California for years, yes, Satanists were used to make people afraid for YEARS. Pedophilia is also a moral panic. Yes, there are pedophiles and yes they exist and yes they abuse children. But this behavior is extremely rare. The most likely source of child abuse is family members, not strangers, teachers, priests etc. But the extremely rare thing get the media's attention and they hype those rare events because they can wrap advertising around the stories and generate viewers. Video games are a moral panic. they make kids into murders only they don't. People who play video games are no more or less violent than the rest of the public. But since the parents don't play games, the media can sell them a story that their kids are turning into junkies. Oh yea that happened Trans people using the 'wrong' bathroom to abuse your kids is a moral panic. Stranger danger is a moral panic. (Most abducted children are taken by family members as a part of custody battles) "Moral Panic" is a hard term to give a real definition to. But If I had to try? A Moral Panic is a media event where fear and concern are hyped up into a 'panic' where laws are demanded to fix a situation. The situation itself probably is not real, is a hoax or represents a very minor percent of the population. the whipping up of public fear and in extreme cases terror, is usually linked to a demand from elected leaders to change laws. I've included a few articles that might help you understand the term better. Hope it helps. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-british-studies/article/grave-doubts-victorian-medicine-moral-panic-and-the-signs-of-death/ACF7DC9BD4954C0979339557D14EE7C5 https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wicked-deeds/201507/moral-panic-who-benefits-public-fear