DAYTON — With a recent stream of videos showing teenagers and juveniles misbehaving, some think juvenile crime is on the rise.
A recent video shows eight middle school students swoop in and knock a lone teen to the ground at Trotwood-Madison Middle School.
Other videos locally and statewide have circulated showing bullying and fights.
Some worry that social media may be partly responsible for the supposed uptick in juvenile crime.
Dr. Julie Stucke is a child psychologist at Dayton Children’s Hospital and said a lot of kids who post these videos may think it’s amusing.
“A lot of these kids think it is funny, they think it is amusing, entertaining to them,” Stucke said.
Stucke said that teens’ tendency to put everything they do online may be influencing our views that juvenile crime is soaring.
News Center 7 obtained crime statistics that do show the number of juveniles arrested has increased so far this year compared to the same time period last year.
Digging into specific violent crimes does not show the same story.
The number of arrests for aggravated assault as well as breaking and entering are both up this year compared to the same time last year.
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However, the number of teens accused of murder and rape is down.
Stucke said juveniles that are accused of violent crimes also tend to generate more news coverage because it’s unusual.
Stucke said the bottom line is mental health services for students are just as important for adults.
“These kids need to learn to control their impulses, the first thought is just to lash out physically. They have to find other ways to channel the anger and frustration they’re feeling,” she said.
Those who work in the juvenile court system are involved in juvenile crime every day and said they are working on solutions in the hopes of turning that trend around.