PHOENIX — When talking about teen violence in the Valley, three student-athletes say they believe parent involvement could be the one thing that would make a difference in addressing the problem.
“I feel like our generation needs a lot more limits. I'm not saying like, restrict, but parents need to really be there,” DJ, a high school senior, said.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Esto es lo que los adolescentes del valle quieren que los adultos sepan sobre la violencia en sus comunidades
12News spoke to the three young men, who attend a Valley high school and are teammates, about what they’ve seen when it comes to teen violence and what adults need to know. We’re only using their first names to protect the teens.
“Parents need to actually parent,” Jhaimier, who is also a high school senior, said.
The teens wish adults understood that the violence that affects them starts with adults in their lives.
“It starts with them," DJ said. “We grow up around them, we go off of what they do, what they think is cool.”
The teens shared experiences they’ve had with violence–from students from their campus dying from a shooting to one of them losing their grandmother to gun violence, and another losing a friend.
“It really like brought light to the situation, like we need something to change out here,” Xavier, a high school junior, said.
“I think it comes down to loving each other, like, I feel like there’s not enough empathy in the world,” Jhaimier said.
The role of social media
The teens believe social media plays a role in how young people communicate with each other and in the violence they see. The young men noted how a fight might start online, but then spills into acts of violence in person.
“I think it’s for the fame to be honest,” DJ said.
“In a day and age where everything could just get posted, a lot of people feel like, ‘Oh I gotta, like, clap back at them’,” Xavier said.
Teen supporting teens
The teens noted that hearing from their peers landed differently for them.
“When you hear peer-to-peer, it’s more like I can understand it better,” Xavier said. “Like versus an adult - it’s like ‘oh yeah, violence is bad’ but you guys aren’t really out here.”
“Most of them are the ones leading their kids to go this way and that’s where it needs to stop,” DJ said.
The teens recognize that the issue isn’t limited to one area of the Valley and is affecting many communities.
If they could reach their peers who are seeing violence firsthand, they offered encouragement to not engage in violence themselves and for them to seek out someone they trust.
“They have a voice, just talk, talk to somebody,” DJ said.
“Personally, I will tell them like, ‘It’s really never that serious. There’s never a good time to go out and try to end someone’s life over just like a simple altercation’,” Xavier said.
“Take the time to think of the consequences and just the things that could happen if you just respond like that, it’s not worth it,” Jhaimier said.
You can hear more from DJ, Xavier and Jhaimier by watching the video at the top of this story.
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