Imagine a peaceful village full of evil creatures. Roaming the land. Out to kill. They cause chaos and disrupt the harmonious society. Terrified villagers flee the area, full of hatred for these creatures. They can no longer find food or interact with their community. The villagers will never give the beasts any opportunities, restricting their lives forever… even though they once lived together in harmony.
This story is fiction: no evil creatures roam the earth (unless scientists have found a way to clone dinosaurs).
But the beasts exist. Ostracised by society, the dark parts of the world have caught up to them, evoking pain, and fear. It causes them to lash out — emotion turned to immoral action. These beasts are youth criminals, and they aren't really beasts. In fact, they're human beings like us, and their actions can have severe impacts on our generation and our world.
I'm urging you to consider youth crime and its ramifications as significant issues affecting our generation, as well as the future of our world. We, as a society, need to do more to help prevent these offences.
Safety, connection, and financial security are key aspects of community. They bring us happiness. Juvenile crime takes away the most precious treasure. Togetherness.
Community crime especially has severe impacts on the safety and mental wellbeing of districts, evoking frustration, concern, and panic. This was evident in a case study of New South Wales, where a 57% rise in regional violent crime rates in 2023 resulted in eroded trust in neighbourhoods.
Furthermore, restoration costs for crimes like these add to the ever-increasing costs for one community, and can result largely in financial strain and community debt. In countries like Nepal, restoration outlays valued eight hundred and eleven million Australian dollars after youth-led protests destroyed buildings and vehicles across the capital.
Additionally, a report from Montana University explains "[w]hen residents believe they are unsafe, they are less likely to trust or engage with their neighbours." This finding tells us that feelings of insecurity after criminal offences ultimately leads to the disunity of society.
Youth crime's destruction of society could result in major events like poverty, foreign reprimand, and exodus, and does so in some parts of the world. We need to avert youth violation to sustain our communities.
Our society, at this moment, is in danger. But besides the impact on older generations, we must consider the impact it has on us. It's a dark cloud that trails us constantly. A burden that will change the world for the worse.
Older generations are key in our upbringing, but their advice to us is often clouded by that bothersome stereotype lingering in the atmosphere.
Remember the time you asked your mum if you could get your nails done, dye your hair, or get a nose ring? And the 'totally-saw-that-coming' face you made when she answered 'No!'? Well, if we want to be trusted — if we want to be free — we need to prove that we're actually mature.
The adults are in 'the driving seat' now and, until it's us, they decide. With a harmful misconception like "this new generation is consumed with immorality and violent thoughts", we can't get anywhere! We can't get the jobs, the money, the life we want. It's a curse! And when we're adults and take the steering wheel for ourselves, will we impose that same stereotype on the younger generations? We can't let other people's crimes get in the way of our opportunities. We must act.
And yet, we end up with the same cold, hard truth. Governments are establishing harsher regulations, and police forces are creating more programs. But these don't solve the problem. Instead, we have to consider the specifics and address the root causes of youth crime.
I believe that the REAL root cause of youth crime is not in the mind, but in your phone. That's right, in the little rectangular screen you're holding.
Anna Sorokin, a con artist, was convicted for her crimes in 2019. However, her story was made into a Netflix drama series (titled 'Inventing Anna'), and she was even invited to be on 'Dancing with the Stars!'! This proves exactly how much the media and the greater public admire extreme news.
Everything you see online influences you: the violent culture that's glorified in the media, pressing news events of increases in cost of living and intense political decisions. It all has an effect on young minds.
I implore you to switch your attention from blaming juvenile offenders to scolding the criminal mastermind behind such behaviour: the exposure of manipulative media on developing intellects.
Yes, youth crime isn't the most significant issue that we face, but if we don't address this problem quickly, there'll be cycles of inherited instability in our world.
These juvenile offences complicate the state of communities. However, by implementing newer, more targeted ideas into current restoration programs, we can work towards decreasing the rate of adolescent crime and the severity of its consequences.
The future of our generation is unsafe. The future of new generations remains vulnerable. Our fate depends on you.
Advocate for a change in our society for the youth offence situation — because youth crime is real, and its consequences are deadly.
