Many children and adolescents occasionally have physical confrontations with others, but most children and adolescents do not continue violent behavior or engage in violent crime. However, children who exhibit violent behavior before puberty may be at higher risk of committing crimes in adulthood.
Many risk factors for youth violence are linked to experiencing prolonged or repeated stress. This stress can negatively change the brain development. Known risk factors for violent behavior include the following:
Physical punishment
Exposure to violence or history of violent victimization
Developmental or behavioral issues
Alcohol and drug misuse by caregivers of the child or adolescent
Harsh, lax, or inconsistent disciplinary practices or neglect by parents or caregivers
Association with delinquent peers or gang involvement
Living in a community with diminished economic opportunities, high levels of family disruption, or social disorganization
Access to firearms
Acts of violence committed by youth have been associated with access to firearms, exposure to violence through media (such as social media and news platforms), and exposure to child abuse and domestic violence.
Violent video games may desensitize children to violence. Although experts do not think they actually cause children to become violent, children exposed to them are more used to violence being part of life.
In 2019, 19.5% of male high school students in the United States reported carrying a weapon at least once during the month before they were surveyed as part of a study on youth risks. Another study showed carrying a weapon at school was more common among students who had been threatened or injured with a weapon, those who had been involved in physical fights, and those who had missed school because they were concerned about their safety and among bullied male students than it was among students who were not exposed to violence at school.
(See also Overview of Behavioral Problems in Children.)
Gang involvement
Participation in youth gangs has been linked to violent behavior, often involving firearms.
Gang members are typically a mix of adolescents and young adults (peak age is 14). Gangs usually adopt a name and identifying symbols, such as a particular style of clothing, the use of certain hand signs, tattoos, or graffiti. Some gangs require prospective members to perform acts of violence before membership is granted.
Increasing youth gang violence has been blamed at least in part on gang involvement in illicit drug distribution and illicit drug use, particularly methamphetamines and heroin.
Bullying
Bullying is a form of violence in which repeated verbal, emotional, physical, and/or psychological attacks are done to dominate or humiliate another person. See Bullying for information about forms of bullying, bullies, and targets (victims) of bullying.
Prevention of Violent Behavior in Children and Adolescents
Violence prevention should begin in early childhood. Strategies include the following:
Not using violence to discipline young children
Limiting access to weapons and exposure to violence through media and video games
Creating and maintaining a safe school environment
Encouraging victims to report problems to their parents and school authorities
Teaching older children and adolescents strategies for avoiding high-risk situations (including places or settings where others have weapons or are using alcohol or illicit drugs) and for reacting to or defusing tense situations
Promoting safe, stable, and nurturing family relationships
Safe and supportive school environments and programs that promote mental health may help prevent violence and deter use of weapons.
