The end of class bell rings as the teacher asks for tests to be collected. Mutters fill the room: ‘Bro, I am gonna kill myself, that test was horrible.’ All while the dings and chirps of phone notifications circulate the classroom with texts saying, ‘dude that test made me want to end it all,’ and ‘I swear I am gonna KMS if I failed.’
The abbreviation “KMS” means kill my self, and it is often used through text and social media. Teenagers use the phrase as a hyperbole, in order to express their stress or annoyance with tough situations.
“I would probably say it when my teacher’s assigning what feels like 50 pages of homework, when doing a timed essay or when I have too much schoolwork in general.” Etinosa Egharevba, a West Junior said.
“KMS” is not the first phrase to use death as a hyperbole to make its point clear, and it likely will not be the last. ‘I am dying laughing’ and ‘I was so embarrassed I could have died’ or ‘I am freezing to death’ All of these phrases share a common theme, the severity is drowned out by its obvious insincerity. But, when people say they are going to kill themselves, their tone can be lost in translation.
“I just think it has become normalized to say, because people are so desensitized to the idea of suicide until someone actually does it.” Egharevba, said.
One thing that contributes to the prevalence of this phrase is that most of Gen-z has been on social media since childhood, where many trends are centered around dark humor. Growing up watching these posts creates a disconnect to the seriousness of topics such as suicide. The ACM Digital Library says, “Research also has shown that exposure to such content may increase the risk of engaging in these behaviors.”
Because suicide is discussed so often in America, and this use of “KMS” is more of a new generation slang term, it can be concerning for adults to hear. Creating a thin line for determining whether someone is joking or not.
“It is a little cringey, and I do think it makes light of something that should not be made light.” Joseph Kibler, a West Social Studies teacher said.
The National Library of Medicine says, “Suicidal action is a progression from suicidal thoughts to actual behaviors.” Repetition of suicidal sayings, even as a joke, can lead to genuine thoughts of suicide. So whether it is online or in real life, being aware of the mental health of yourself and others is crucial. It does not mean that you can not say this phrase, just that education is key, intention is important and serious situations like suicide should be taken into account before being mentioned without a second thought.
