CNN Blasted for Claiming that Shouting at Children Is ‘as Harmful as Sexual or Physical Abuse’

A Tuesday CNN piece caught criticism after citing a recently released study from Child Abuse & Neglect claiming that parents or teachers shouting at children “can be as damaging to their development as sexual or physical abuse.”

According to CNN, the study, commissioned by British charity Words Matter — which encourages adults to avoid shouting at or insulting children — calls for childhood “verbal abuse” to be officially recognized as a form of “maltreatment.”

“Childhood verbal abuse desperately needs to be acknowledged as an abuse subtype because of the lifelong negative consequences,” said Professor Shanta Dube, the study’s lead author and the director of Wingate University’s Master of Public Health Program.

In response, the left-wing news network faced a wave of backlash online. 

“Here we have CNN trying to downplay sexual and physical abuse of children by comparing it to ‘shouting,’” wrote conservative journalist Sara Gonzales.

Defense Attorney Marina Medvin blasted what she termed a “review of studies that blames ‘parents, mothers, and teachers’ (are mothers not parents?) and randomly claims it’s like sexual abuse.” 

“This is undeserving of any attention, let alone from a major news network,” she argued.

“Delete this post, your account, and never go within 1000 yards of a school, park or playground ever again,” wrote Libertarian media figure Spike Cohen.

“I experienced sexual abuse to the point my personality split to protect myself from the pain and was removed from my home due to physical abuse,” wrote conservative writer and commentator Chad Greene. “You can f*ck off with this.”

“Thanks for denigrating everyone who has ever suffered physical abuse, CNN,” wrote Moms for Liberty Chapter Chair Merianne Jensen. “There’s a BIG difference.”

“But the worst abuse of all is exposing them to CNN,” wrote conservative artist George Alexopoulos.

Fitness entrepreneur Marc Lobliner accused CNN “groomers” of “normalizing sexual abuse again.”

“Delete your account,” wrote businessman Seth Weathers, CEO of the Conservative Dad’s Ultra Right Beer.

“I dunno. I’m glad my parents drew the line at shouting,” wrote stand-up comedian Sam Morril.

“Does anyone else get the sense that over the past 3 years, there’s been a concerted effort to dismantle the idea that bad behaviors no longer require negative consequences in order to be stamped out?” wrote journalist Melissa Chen.

“It starts with kids – don’t yell at them. Then fail to punish teenagers in school and abolish difficulty in the name of equity. Then riotous, young adults who loot/assault are met with soft laws and early release,” she added.

“Reading CNN articles can be just as harmful as ingesting cyanide, study finds,” mocked the influential pro-Donald Trump meme maker known as “Carpe Donktum.”

“Yelling at kids is awful, especially when they don’t understand why. Learning how to properly discipline children is essential for their development. However, to put yelling and sexual/physical abuse on the same level is a crime,” wrote celebrity chef Andrew Gruel.

The piece comes as leftist hostility toward authority, police, and the disciplining of children and students increases. 

In February, retired Navy SEAL and podcast host Mike Sarraille warned that woke culture and victim mentality presents a real danger to American society, where victims are becoming the majority.

“We’re not creating a generation of warriors,” he said. “Instead, we’re creating victims who think they’re entitled to certain things and that nothing is their fault.”

The matter also comes as the left-wing media continues attempting to destigmatize pedophilia.

In November, a glowing Washington Post review of “Downstate,” a play that attempts to sympathize with rapists and pedophiles while appearing to vilify their victims, drew a barrage of backlash online for “normalizing” and “glorifying” pedophilia.

Previously, USA Today attempted to destigmatize pedophilia by portraying it as an orientation that may even be forged in the womb while lamenting that pedophilia stands among “the most misunderstood” of sexual orientations.

In addition, parental rights continue to be under attack, and academia, children’s books, television shows, media outlets, and left-wing activists continue to guide children to doubt their biological sex.

In 2021, a UK school banned the terms “good” and “bad” from describing pupil behavior because the headteacher wanted to remove “emotional words” from classroom management.

Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.