New Yorkers are sharing their concerns about youth violence in the city after one man posted a video saying he is disturbed by how young some of the kids getting involved appear to be. His message resonated with residents on TikTok, where some admitted they are genuinely afraid of the city’s youth while others questioned what is going wrong.
The man, who posts under the handle @alongsorroww, said he had just returned from New York when he decided to share his thoughts on what he had seen. According to him, the youths in the city need prayers as they are “becoming ruthless.”
“I cannot make this message inside of New York, bro. It’s too dangerous. The [youth involved] every single year is getting younger and younger…They don’t care. They’ll bite you,” the man claimed.
He called for more youth programs to be set up to give young people something productive to turn to. He also advised young people to try out sports or other healthy interests instead of choosing a dangerous life on the streets.
“You can’t just quit basketball and then pick up a [firearm]. It’s not how it works, bro. You gotta try,” the man said.
New Yorkers React to the Man’s TikTok Post
The man’s video opened up a much larger conversation in the comments, with several viewers saying they had noticed similar problems.
“I could talk about this topic all day. These teens are demons out here,” one person wrote. Another admitted, “I’m scared of these kids they literally have NOTHING TO LOSE.” A third commented, “It gets worse everyday !!! Who needs enemies when they’re taking each other out !!! Sad fr.”
One parent said the issue had even influenced where she wanted to raise her children. “Moving my kids out of nyc because of that I’m afraid my oldest son to end up like that.“
Some felt parents were to blame for the children who were getting into trouble so young. “My question is, what the hell are the parents doing?” one viewer asked. Another remarked, “Parents are failing ridiculously.” Someone else claimed, “Parents stopped parenting. Everyone wanna be a social media mom.”
Others pointed the finger elsewhere. “There are plenty of youth programs. Some parents don’t care and some parents are doing their best but kids are way too caught up in social media and nonsense,” one comment read. Another suggested, “It’s their environments and who they grow up around. Young minds are easy to influence up until they’re too far gone.” A third even claimed that “it’s the increase of drill music that’s influencing them.”
The comments offered plenty of theories about what might be behind the problem, but they were individual opinions rather than established explanations for youth violence in the city.
There is, however, some NYPD data that provides context for the concern about young people becoming involved in gun violence.
Even as shootings across New York City have fallen to historic lows, minors have accounted for a growing share of the people involved in shootings. According to the NYPD, 14% of people who were shot in the city in 2025 were under 18, while 18% of those identified as responsible for shootings were also under 18.
Minors have not represented such a large share of either group in any other year covered by NYPD data, which goes back to 2018.
