Young people and violence: protect your child
Young people use violence primarily against other young people. Increased aggression and violent tendencies are partly related to puberty itself. But why are some teens able to remain calm while others freak out for seemingly no reason? Find out here what motivates young people to commit violence and how you can help your child if it becomes a perpetrator or victim of violence.
Violence: Young people have different reasons to hit out
When young people use violence, the main question is why. Puberty , with its chaos of hormones and excess physical energy , temporarily increases aggression and the willingness to use violence. But why do some young people manage to stay calm while others freak out at the slightest provocation?
There is rarely a single trigger for violent behavior. As a rule, it is a combination of personal difficulties, living conditions and influences that provoke young people to violence:
- Peer pressure, desire for recognition: Many young people wish for recognition from their peers. The opinion of the clique becomes more important with puberty – this is completely normal. The group becomes a problem when status and recognition are defined by violence. Statistically, acts of violence are more often committed by groups than by individuals. In addition, young people primarily get drunk in the company of the clique and often become more aggressive and violent under the influence of alcohol.
- Few leisure activities, boredom: In an environment where there is a lack of interesting and age-appropriate leisure activities, brawls quickly become an exciting change from everyday life. Boredom, as banal as it sounds, is one of the most common triggers for violence among young people.
- Experience of violence: Juvenile violent offenders are often victims of violence themselves. Whether at home or at school – physical violence, but also verbal humiliation and neglect leave their mark. Low self-esteem, helplessness, and an inability to deal with stress, frustration, and anger increase the risk of becoming violent yourself.
violence in the media
Whether and to what extent violence in computer games, for example, affects children and young people is a subject of heated debate time and again. Undoubtedly, not all youth who are into first-person shooters and horror films become violent. Nonetheless, parents should pay close attention to what their children absorb from the media. Age ratings, your own research and interested questions from the kids themselves help to assess the situation correctly.
protect young people from violence
Violence by young people is often directed at other young people. They are two to three times more likely to be bullied, threatened or robbed than adults. But parents can do a lot to protect their children from violence:
- Practice with your child how to appear confident. Perpetrators often specifically seek out weak and insecure people.
- Do not give your child large sums of money and make sure that valuables are individually marked. Cell phones, for example, have an individual number (IMEI number) that you can find out by entering *#06#.
- On routes that your child travels frequently, you can provide “safe havens” such as a friend’s house or a shop where they can ask for help if necessary.
Discuss with your child what to do in an emergency:
- Ignore provocations and insults and, if possible, leave quickly
- Ask passers-by for help, draw attention to yourself by shouting
- Alert the police using the emergency number 110
- If the situation cannot be averted, memorize the faces of the perpetrators and what is happening very precisely
Many young people are afraid of going to the police. But they can only defend themselves against the perpetrators and further violence with a report. In the event of violence on school premises, the school administration should also be informed.
Preventing aggression and violence by young people
Children and young people who attract attention through violence and aggressive behavior need help to find new, non-violent ways for themselves. Attention and empathy are just as important as a clear attitude:
- Try to find out what makes your child so aggressive. Is it a specific situation or person? How does it feel? Think together about how conflicts could be solved differently.
- Show your child clear boundaries. Make it clear that you will not tolerate physical violence, insults or inhuman comments. Also explain the (legal) consequences of violence.
- Don’t forget that you are a role model. Your child takes a very close look at how frustration and anger are dealt with at home.
- Offer your child opportunities to exercise properly. Sport or exciting activities challenge your child, convey a sense of achievement and strengthen self-confidence.
- Sometimes abnormal behavior is related to changes in the family. Discuss with your child what needs have been neglected lately and what you can do about it.
• Children (under the age of 14) are considered to be incapacitated. In the event of a crime, the police will usually inform the parents. In the case of repeated or serious crimes, the youth welfare office or the family court can also be involved.
• Juveniles (between the ages of 14 and 18) are considered criminally responsible and can be sentenced under juvenile criminal law. A core idea of juvenile criminal law is the educational aspect, which would like to offer young people a new orientation, for example through social hours or anti-aggression training. Prison sentences are therefore rarely used.
• Criminal law understands young adults between the ages of 18 and 21 as adolescents. Depending on the offense and the maturity of the perpetrator, adolescents can still be convicted under juvenile criminal law, even if they are actually already adults.
Most parents find it shocking when their child is involved in an act of violence. It is important that they reject the act and not the child as a person and support a new start. The local youth welfare office and counseling centers of the child protection association can also help. They offer free and anonymous advice for parents and can provide important addresses for violence prevention.
Even if frightening individual cases still occur – police crime statistics show that violence by young people has decreased in recent years. The reason for this is certainly that educators and parents are sensitive to the issue of violence and do a lot through education and prevention work to ensure that children and young people get through life free of violence.