(NewsNation) — Engagement with certain types of TikTok content is linked with sexual attraction to criminals and killers, a new study finds.

Published in the journal "Deviant Behavior," researchers found that watching and engaging with videos that romanticize offenders is linked to hybristophilia, the psychological term for an attraction to criminals.

An attraction to killers isn't a new phenomenon, with notorious killers like Ted Bundy receiving romantic attention while behind bars, but social media has brought a new dimension to the subject.

Researchers specifically focused on Gen Z and engagement with videos romanticizing criminals, real or fictional.

They found evidence of what's called the halo effect, where conventionally attractive offenders had their crimes minimized, something

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