When empathy turns inside out: Social media, hybristophilia, and the moral shifts of Gen Z women

This project explores how social media platforms, particularly TikTok, shape empathy and moral boundaries among Generation Z women. Drawing on recent research (Treggia et al., 2025) examining hybristophilia (attraction to offenders), the article considers how visual aesthetics, humour, and algorithmic repetition can reorient empathy away from victims toward perpetrators. The discussion integrates recent psychological evidence on moral development, dark personality traits, and media influence, offering implications for assessment, intervention, and developmental practice in educational, forensic, and occupational contexts.