Moral panic is when a category or group of people is seen as a threat to the moral values of society. The people who are seen as a threat show certain patterns of behaviour which are seen as problematic. The goal of the moral panic is to stop these problematic behaviours. In modern times, a sensationalist reporting of the press, and privately organized actions often accompany moral panics.

In the end, a moral panic will lead to an increase in social control; the chances that values change in a normal way will decrease.^[1]

Moral panic is different from mass hysteria. With mass hysteria, there is no social control.

• From about the 1920s, different kinds of new music have been said to cause spiritual or otherwise moral corruption to younger generations.^[2] These were sometimes called "the devil's music". Blues recived this label; people believed it caused people to become violent, and to show other poor behavior. Jazz also received such a label; traditionalists considered jazz to contribute to the breakdown of morality.^[3] Blues and jazz were seen as "negro music" . Urban middle-class African Americans perceived jazz as "devil's music", and agreed with the beliefs that jazz's improvised rhythms and sounds were promoting promiscuity.^[4] In the mid 1980s, teenagers had killed themselves after they had listened to music for some time; mostly metal. A label "Parental advisory:explicit lyrics" was introduced, but court cases to sue musicians because of the texts they used were unsuccessful.^[5] A group of parents were discontent, because the parental advisory sticker would not make a difference between music that was "offensive, satanic, sexual in nature [or] otherwise objectionable."^[5]
• In Canada, discussion on what was called reasonable accomodation.
• In France, people opposing same-sex marriage; also discussion on the sexuality of adolescents.^[6]
• In certain western countries, the ways of fighting against pedophilia.

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