Cities across the country are trying to figure out how to respond to what have been dubbed ‘teen takeovers’, large groups of teenagers and young adults who follow social media cues to gather quickly in public spaces like commercial districts, malls, parks or beaches.

Approaches vary

In Raleigh, North Carolina, local officials are weighing an emergency youth curfew. In St. Augustine Beach, Florida, police say real-time social media monitoring helped them stop a planned youth gathering before it began. In Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has threatened to criminally charge parents whose children repeatedly participate in disorderly crowds.

Crowds at reported events have ranged from a few dozen to several thousand people. While they are generally promoted as social gatherings, some have devolved into disorder, fights, robberies, property damage and, less frequently, shootings.

Causes and solutions

Explanations for their apparent popularity vary. Some researchers have pointed out that the young people participating are the same ones who had their most formative social years interrupted by the pandemic. Others point to the dwindling supply and rising costs of so-called ‘third spaces’, areas other than home and school, where young people used to congregate, like bowling alleys and skating rinks.

There are also competing theories about why these events have sometimes led to destruction and disorder. Some argue that social media incentivizes a kind of ‘performance crime’, pushing the boundaries of the risky behaviors teenagers are willing to engage in.

Many cities are turning to familiar tools to attempt to rein in the gatherings. In Newport Beach, California, police made over 400 arrests of 15-to-25-year-olds over the July 4th weekend after reports of young people blocking roadways and directing fireworks and projectiles at crowds.

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.