CINCINNATI — Social media and a lack of social and coping skills are driving youth violence in Hamilton County, according to leaders on the frontlines.
“Most of our serious offenses have social media origins,” said Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Kari Bloom.
Bloom explained how something as simple as a misinterpreted tone in a text can escalate a situation.
"Teens feel like, 'Oh, that was disrespectful. I need to address that disrespect.' And that is how we end up in a lot of our shootings," Bloom said.
What’s missing for many teens, she said, is coping skills.
"The communication skills of teenagers right now are near zero," Bloom said. "They text and they use social media."
It's something Janice Sowell, a licensed professional clinical counselor at the Trauma Recovery Center of Cincinnati, sees firsthand. She said kids' extensive use of TikTok has taught them to communicate in short bits.
"They think that’s a normal form of communication," she said. "It’s not."
Many children already had social issues before the pandemic. Two years of lockdown exacerbated the problem, Sowell said. In many ways, adolescents are in social settings that are age-appropriate. However, their coping skills may not be at the same age level.
"How do we get our kids back to normal skills to deal with the anxiety that they may already [be] experiencing?" she said.
One possible solution could be found at the Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses in the West End. They have a roller rink and boxing ring available to students after school.
It’s the idea of a "third space," a structured place for kids to go that’s not school or home.
Dr. Suzanne Sampang, clinical medical director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Cincinnati Children's, said informal spaces like that are a place for children to develop their social communication skills.
"The more different types of socialization and interactions that you have, I think that certainly enriches development," Sampang said.
Recess, for example, is where you learn things like conflict resolution, she said.
Overall, Sampang said social media is "neither good nor bad," but rather dependent on the child, how they use it and what else is going on in their life.
"It’s about having that balance in their life," she said.
Sampang said the most important thing parents can do is keep an open line of communication with their children, and ask questions when they may not understand online platforms or lingo.
"It’s an opportunity to have a conversation about it," said Sampang.
