Recent studies say Britons are frightened of their own young people because of increasing violence.

Over 1.7 million British do not to go out after nightfall because of teenage gangs, a report conducted by the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) stated. They appear to have good reason to stay inside: The bbc reported that when British teens were compared to their continental counterparts, for “every indicator of bad behavior—drugs, drink, violence, promiscuity—the UK was at or near the top ….”

“Yobs,” as teenage hooligans are often referred to in Britain, have taken control of the streets. An October 3 story in the Express (Britain) reported on a 40-year-old father who was stabbed to death by drugged teens when he stood up to them for disturbing the area around his family’s apartment. The police said the man had done “what any normal citizen would do in a situation like this.” However, the study put out by ippr casts doubts on “what any normal citizen would do.”

“The Institute for Public Policy Research found that of Europeans, Britons would be the least likely to step in if they saw a group of 14-year-old boys vandalizing a bus shelter. Only 34 percent said they would intervene ….” Why would so many Britons refuse to get involved? “Those who said that they would turn a blind eye feared being attacked or verbally abused.”

Britain suffers from many problems; one of the biggest is the constant threat of terrorism from homegrown radicals. However, controlling the British youth is, after terrorism, the “biggest single, all-pervading social horror we must address—or we face a life of increasing fear of feral youth,” wrote Richard Stott in the Sunday Mirror. That statement requires attention. “Homegrown terrorism” isn’t supposed to refer to teenagers living in our own homes!

Murderous teens are a force to be reckoned with, and one could understand why adults would be reluctant to deal with a hostile and rule-breaking behavior like that displayed by some young people in Britain. However, reluctance to deal decisively with teens is actually the cause of such activity.

An increasing number of teens in Britain have no authority figures to guide them, and become hostile. While they do have their fault as well, if many were given the proper discipline by adults and parents when they were young, they would not fall into the lifestyles associated with these “yobs.” The lack of parental guidance and courage to stand up to these young people has caused them to be so out of control that few would stand up to a group of 14-year-olds. It’s a self-compounding problem that will likely continue to snowball out of control.

This condition was prophesied by Isaiah 2,700 years ago. “As for my people, children are their oppressors,” the prophet wrote (3:12)—a remarkably accurate description of the second-largest threat facing British society today. Of course, God does not say everyone is doomed to have their teenagers run roughshod over them. There is a way to deal with teens in a loving and firm manner. To find out more, click here.