This boy just got stabbed and took a selfie.

This young man is Nate Scimio.

He just survived a brutal stabbing rampage at his high school in Pennsylvania, USA. Twenty-two students and teachers were injured when a 16-year-old boy ran through Franklin Regional High School with two large knives — seriously wounding and nearly killing several students — before the attacker was tackled by the vice-principal and handcuffed by a security guard.

Three other students remain in critical conditions at the hospital where Nate took this photograph.

As far as we know, this is the world’s first post-stabbing selfie.

Predictably, adults have called this a new low for teenagers, evidence that the world is going to hell in a hand-basket, etc etc moral panic etc etc.

Here’s a quick sample of the criticism Nate’s copped since sharing his post-stabbing selfie.

Sad that survivors need to take “I survived” selfie photos just to attend high school these days! Speedy recovery all around for you and your classmates Nate.

One thing I’ve learned over the years — it is impossible to underestimate the depths to which the so called “millennials” will sink. Every time I think someone couldn’t possibly do something any stupider than the before, I find myself staring at something like this. 

But before we slam him for insensitivity and blame his generation for defiling civilisation one selfie at a time, let’s try to understand why a teenager would do such a thing.

I’m on this guy’s side, in a big, loud, determined way.

I think his post-stabbing selfie is a valid, important part of his recovery from trauma. He’s entitled to grieve in whatever way he wants, so long as he’s not harming anyone else in the process. This vulnerable, injured teenager has been through something more bizarre and horrifying than we can ever fathom – and if his instinct is to document that experience with a selfie, then all power to him.

Taking this photo isn’t destructive or unhelpful to anyone, and it could well be the only way he knows how to share the experience with his friends. What’s more is, he’s an integral part of a global news story, and this photograph is fascinating evidence of how teenagers react to tragedy and process emotion. So what if this photograph smacks of slightly weird smugness – this is Nate’s natural reaction to tragedy and it’s more than valid.

This boy is not just a selfie poser, victim, and teenager with a phone. Nate Scimio is being called a hero because during the attack at his school, he pulled the fire alarm which got all students evacuated and out of danger. Just have a look at some of the adoring comments on his Instagram post.

So, this post-stabbing selfie is not just proof of survival; it’s a celebration of his quick-thinking in a horrendous crisis. It’s also his way of publicly broadcasting his reaction to something just horrific he and his school friends went through. On Instagram and Twitter, he’s actually prompted heaps of teenagers — both those involved in the accident and those observing from a distance in horror  — to talk about the attack and how something this awful could possibly happen.

It’s not a new low for millennials. It’s a significant forum for young people to process tragedy, recover from shock and help each other through extreme vulnerability. And to me, that’s a little bit brilliant.