A Florida Student Got Advice on Social Media from a Twitter User Who Said They Survived a School Shooting Too

On Wednesday, February 14, police responded to a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Details about the incident are still unfolding, but as of Thursday, February 15, there were 17 confirmed casualties and reports of multiple injuries, CNN reported.

As law enforcement officials continued to work to understand more about the suspect's motive, users on social media were turning to one another as a means of support.

Students affected by the incident tweeted throughout the shooting, the Miami Herald reported. One student, who expressed fear while being "locked inside," received support from someone who said they were a survivor of a previous school shooting.

A Twitter user named Aidan shared a tweet from inside the classroom, saying he was scared. The tweet then received a response from @runs_w_wolves who wrote: "I’ve survived this. You’re gonna be okay. Hang in there sweetie. Stay quiet. Help anyone who is hurt. Stay calm. It’s going to be okay. I promise baby you’re going to be okay."

Additional survivors of similar acts of violence have spoken out on social media with their support as well as their concern regarding a continuing lack of action to prevent events like this from happening again. "Our children deserve better," Stacey S. wrote. A user named Matt said he was a shooting survivor, too, and admitted that "you just don’t really get over what happened." A Twitter user named Amber also expressed her frustration, tweeting: "I survived a school shooting 10 years ago today. So sad that the same thing continues to happen like clockwork."

Those who witnessed what happened in Florida, and similar occurrences that happened in the past, faced an act of violence that can take time to heal from. Talking about what happened with friends or with users on social media is an important aspect of healing. It's OK to look after yourself during this time and take whatever time you need to process these events and find healing from what happened. If you have anxiety and need to step away from the news or social media, that's perfectly OK, too. Remain mindful of how you're feeling during this time.