Talking to Your Teen About Knives

It seems that every time you open the newspaper, scroll through social media, or switch on the TV, there is yet another tragic tale of a young person losing their life due to knife crime. The apparent prevalence of stabbings and cases of violent assaults involving knives is causing understandable alarm for families, both nationally and globally.

Parents and carers are faced with a real quandary: letting their teenager experience more and more freedom, while also trying to protect them from unwarranted, unprovoked violence and aggression. You can’t be with them 24/7, so you can often feel powerless to keep them safe.

So, why do some children and young people feel they have no choice but to carry a knife? And what can you do to educate and protect your child or teen from becoming a victim, or perpetrator, of knife crime?

Why some children and young people carry a knife

The Youth Endowment Fund carried out research in 2023 to uncover some of the reasons behind youth knife crime. They surveyed 7,500 young people aged between 13 and 17 across England and Wales for their report, Children, Violence and Vulnerability Survey.

According to the findings, almost all children and young people who carried a knife had seen violent content on social media. Not only that, but 82% of this group had experienced violence themselves, with 32% having been threatened with a weapon.

The UK’s largest children’s charity, Barnardo’s, found the most commonly-cited reason for carrying a knife was protection. Many young people felt they could not rely on the police to keep them safe, so obtaining a knife was viewed as the easiest, most accessible solution.

For some, knives were also considered of a ‘fashion accessory’. Many said that carrying one was the norm in their community, even though few had any intention of using it. They reported feeling pressure to do what their peers were doing for fear of being ostracised. Carrying a knife gave them a sense of belonging and acceptance.

How parents and carers can help to address knife crime

So, what can you do as a parent or carer to protect your child from knife crime? There are certainly no easy answers, but there are steps you can take to support your child and help shield them from harm.