By Zachary Daly
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Families move to suburban communities with the intention of avoiding the risk of urban crime. However, lately, residents of Howard County, Maryland, have had to deal with a surprising rise in crime.
While Howard County Police have reported an overall decrease in crime, incidents such as a recent double shooting at the Columbia Mall by a juvenile are leaving residents worried.
Parents of young children are having difficult conversations with their kids that they never expected. On condition of anonymity, a Howard County parent and an educator shared, “Growing up and spending my whole life here, I’ve always known Howard County to be very safe. With all the reports I’ve seen about the crime, especially how much children have been involved, I’ve never been in a position where I felt like I had to worry about our family and safety until now.”
Common crimes that juveniles have committed include theft, burglary, robbery, and even assault. Areas across Howard County that were once seen as important community pillars have now turned into areas at risk of crime.
Some parents believe that social media is a substantial cause of the rise of juvenile crime.
Adam Vernon, a parent, has noticed that social media can push dangerous ideas onto impressionable children.
“You see kids watching stuff on TikTok and it’s stuff about stealing cars or robbing someone. A lot of these kids are so eager to reenact what they see on social media in real life and it’s harmful” says Vernon. “Everyone just wants to do what’ll get them viral.”
An attorney on condition of anonymity shared a similar sentiment on the role of social media in juvenile violence.
“Parents are just sticking phones in the faces of their kids now instead of teaching them important information,” said Stevens. “You hear it in the music kids listen to, all their posts online, all of it is people who are confessing to crime. Children think it’s cool now to jump their boys or rob someone random. These parents don’t do anything about it though until it’s too late.”
Howard County police are continually working to find a source and look for answers.
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