One way of watering down the effects of violence is to approach it in a more lighthearted way. I don't mean to say that you laugh when somebody has their arm sawn off, but you can diffuse fear with humour.
“Like, they know that I have a habit of rubbing my earlobes, I've been doing it since I was two.”
“A child cannot be taught by anyone who despises him, and a child cannot afford to be fooled.”