It wasn’t me.

Is it just me, or has it become nigh on impossible to tune in to the radio, turn on the television or peruse the morning papers without being confronted with yet another horrific tale of teenage violence? With the birth of a new social stereotype, the “hoodie,” any innocent citizen merely has to catch sight of a youngster clad in a particular fashion to turn terrified on their heels. So the real question is not why has there been an apparently alarming increase in underage violence, but rather who is responsible?

As ever, the usual culprits emerge. For a while now, parents, schools and health services have been trying to condemn and thus curb the potentially powerful influence played by excessively violent video games. Watching a naïve seven year old screaming blue murder at his on-screen alter-ego to pummel an “enemy” to death is perturbing at least, emotionally damaging at most.

Next in the firing line is the never-ending and ever more treacherous expanse of the World Wide Web. I am encouraged to see that Google’s first entry for “murder” is a Wikipedia definition and explanation of the term. The second entry, a website called Murder in the UK, is a British educational website which boasts recommended reading lists to students. But delve deeper and there is no doubt that a sinister array of sadistic material can be just the click of a mouse away from your child.

The finger is then angrily and accusingly pointed at the television. It seems as if psychoanalysts discussing the highly negative effect of television on society at large were on to something. Through a constant stream of images, there is the inevitable internalization of the monstrosities outside. There is an intrusion into our homely living space by the violence and aggression beyond our front doors. The satanic becomes just another part of the everyday. And the nation’s children are there to witness it.

But, I ask, would it not be more accurate, though somewhat embarrassing for parents to admit that in fact they it is they who are to blame, or at least those who readily let their children play these video games, surf the net and dominate the remote? It is a truth universally acknowledged that some parents have simply lost control over and thereby lost interest in their brood.

Let me say this. These children are not inherently evil. Neither are they sadistic killing machines. They are simply saturated by a steady stream of media images of brutality and aggression. They are inevitably desensitized as a result. In today’s society, kids are frequently confronted by other manifestations of violence such as road rage, football hooliganism and even by the cut-throat gang culture so prevalent in some inner cities.

It has been said before, but I shall say it again. Mums and dads should not try to side-step their parental responsibilities by freely allowing their kids to while away the hours oggling the gogglebox. If the streets are not safe, then simply sit down and talk. This way, teenagers may stay out of trouble and, more importantly, re-establish essential family ties.

This, I think, could be the key to the eradication of teenage violence. If parents outwardly display a deep, heart-felt and palpable sense of love for their children then maybe these teenagers would not feel isolated and unwanted. Involving your children in your life at every available opportunity rather than placating them and pleasing them with visual entertainment will help to ensure that these youngsters grow up with a solid set of unbreakable, core family values. This is the glue that will bind together a healthy, positive and safe society.