School attacks are no longer just an American problem

For decades, school shootings were largely viewed outside the US as a uniquely American crisis. From Columbine to Sandy Hook, Parkland and Uvalde, images of students hiding in classrooms and heavily armed police surrounding schools became disturbingly familiar. Yet recent attacks in Thailand and Sweden are another reminder that violence in schools is increasingly appearing in countries where such incidents were once almost unimaginable.
Earlier this month, a 14-year-old student opened fire at Debsirin Nonthaburi School outside Bangkok. The attack ultimately left nine people dead, including the suspected gunman, and more than 30 wounded. Police said the teenager had apparently killed his grandparents before going to the school, where he opened fire and later took his own life. Thailand has since introduced active-shooter drills in schools, including the 'run, hide, fight' model already familiar to generations of American students.
Only weeks later, Sweden experienced another horrifying school attack. On August 21, an 18-year-old former student entered Brinell High School in Fagersta armed with a sword. A 17-year-old girl was killed and three others were injured. Police are now examining an apparent social media account linked to the suspect that contained references to previous mass attacks. Neither incident proves that school violence is suddenly becoming commonplace outside America. Statistically, these attacks remain rare in most countries. But they are no longer unprecedented.
Europe has experienced several major school shootings since the beginning of the century. Germany suffered the Erfurt school massacre in 2002 and the Winnenden shooting in 2009. Finland experienced deadly attacks in Jokela in 2007 and Kauhajoki in 2008. In 2023, a 13-year-old killed nine students and a security guard at a school in Belgrade, Serbia. Sweden experienced its deadliest mass shooting at an adult education centre in Örebro in 2025, while Austria suffered a deadly school shooting in Graz that same year.
This raises an uncomfortable question: has the American phenomenon of school shootings influenced attackers elsewhere?
There is no simple answer. Mental health crises, personal grievances, extremist ideologies, access to weapons and individual circumstances differ considerably between cases. However, researchers have documented a genuine “copycat effect” surrounding mass shootings.
Columbine is particularly significant; the 1999 attack became internationally infamous, and subsequent perpetrators around the world have referenced or studied its attackers. Research examining mass shootings outside the US between 1999 and 2022 identified 21 cases across nine countries involving copycat characteristics. Other research has found that high-profile mass attackers can remain influential to potential copycats for years.
The Internet has made that influence far more difficult to contain. A disturbed teenager today does not simply read about a previous attacker in a newspaper. They can find photographs, manifestos, videos and online communities dedicated to discussing mass killers. Some corners of the Internet even turn perpetrators into cult-like figures, analysing their clothing, weapons and behaviour.
That possibility is particularly relevant to Sweden's latest attack, where investigators are examining potential connections to online communities that glorify school violence and previous mass killers.
Social media therefore creates a disturbing paradox. It allows communities to warn one another and share information during emergencies, but it can also provide violent individuals with an audience. For attackers seeking recognition, becoming internationally infamous can itself become part of the motivation.
Researchers have found evidence that mass shootings can produce a contagion effect, temporarily increasing the likelihood of subsequent incidents. One study found that the elevated risk following a highly publicised attack lasted approximately 13 days.
American students have spent years participating in active-shooter drills because the possibility of gunfire entering their classrooms has become something schools are expected to prepare for. Thailand is now introducing similar exercises following its own tragedy.
The recent attacks do not mean Europe or Asia is experiencing school violence on the same scale as the US. But they demonstrate how violent ideas can travel across borders, particularly in an age where social media gives disturbing subcultures an international audience.