By Majd Othman

KUWAIT: Lack of communication and care from parents is one of the factors leading to violent crimes among teenagers, said Dr Huda Al-Jasser, consultant in mental health and family education. Recently, Kuwait witnessed a brutal crime by a Kuwaiti teenager, who allegedly raped and killed his family's Filipino housemaid. While the local community in Kuwait does not face such crimes frequently among teenagers, it is important to address this issue and understand the main motivators that make youth commit crimes.

Dr Huda Al-Jasser

Jasser pointed out that there are many reasons that could lead teenagers to commit crimes, the most important of which is the personality traits they acquire from family and friends. A teenager living in a violent environment which subjects them to witnessing physical and verbal confrontations could end up taking out their anger and frustration through violence. Teenagers might also attack others to compensate for the lack of attention they face at home.

Jasser said parents should make connecting with their children a priority to protect them from violent tendencies that could lead them to harming others. "Parents have to follow up on their teenager's lives, who their friends are and where they go, and prevent them from staying alone in their bedrooms for a long time," she said. "I don't call on parents to control their teenagers and not give them their own space, but they have to know everything about them".

On the other hand, Jasser said consuming media content that reinforces violence plays a role as well. "If we look through social media, video games and movies, we can understand the behaviors that our teenagers are displaying. They have higher tendencies for challenging one another, which increases their stress levels," she said.

Several studies have affirmed that video games contribute significantly to criminal mindsets among teenagers, she said. "We can notice that these teenagers, who spend lots of time playing video games, are more violent and like to show off their power through words or actions, like attacking others." Jasser called for "deterrent penalties, especially for criminals who kill attack and boast about their physical strength". She also demanded the "adoption of severe laws that prevent the criminal from committing his crime and educate the family to raise their children according to moral behaviors."