Child burden: the number of serious crimes among teenagers has increased by half
For the first time in ten years, juvenile delinquency has increased in Russia, Russian Prosecutor General Alexander Gutsan said at an expanded meeting of the department's board. The number of illegal acts committed by teenagers has increased by 10%, and the number of particularly serious ones has increased by almost half. This includes drug trafficking, cybercrime, and terrorist activities. The reason for the surge in juvenile delinquency is in the Izvestia article.
Rising juvenile delinquency
In 2025, the number of crimes among minors increased by 10%, Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Alexander Gutsan said on March 19 during an expanded meeting of the Board of the Prosecutor General's Office. This figure has increased for the first time in ten years. Moreover, the number of particularly serious illegal acts committed by teenagers has increased by almost half.
"Every fifth crime is related to drug trafficking, and every third is committed using information technology," the Prosecutor General noted. — The number of teenagers involved in terrorist crimes has increased many times, which are becoming more aggressive. Arson, damage and destruction of military property, transport infrastructure, tragedies in schools — this is an incomplete list of last year.
According to Alexander Gutsan, the increase in juvenile delinquency is usually associated with "miscalculations of the subjects of prevention," but now the effectiveness of preventive measures cannot be assessed by the old criteria.
— It is not yard hooligans who are dragging children into committing illegal actions, but professionally trained people, military psychologists, whose goal is to inflict maximum damage on our country and the younger generation. Therefore, the response must be adequate," he stated.
The Prosecutor General demanded to implement a set of measures to reduce the involvement of young people in the criminal environment and to check the safety of children and adolescents in educational institutions. He also instructed to evaluate the quality of the work of psychologists in identifying minors at risk and the activities of social educators in the upbringing and spiritual and moral development of children.
— Immediately respond to all cases of concealment of intra—school problems and conflicts, - he pointed out.
It is necessary to strengthen efforts to prevent illegal acts, especially among children and adolescents, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed during his speech at the meeting.
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Alexander Gutsan at an expanded meeting of the Board of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation
— The issues of combating extremism and terrorism should be in the field of constant attention. I have already noted that the number of terrorist crimes increased significantly last year. And it is necessary, within the framework of the powers given to you, to help improve the security of industrial facilities, transport infrastructure, and places of mass residence of people," the head of state addressed the prosecutors.
At the same time, the overall crime rate in Russia has been decreasing at an accelerated pace over the past five years, Alexander Gutsan said. Last year, the indicator fell by 7.3%.
How is juvenile delinquency changing
The increase in juvenile delinquency is not a sudden surge, but a delayed effect of systemic failures, says Alexey Gavrishev, lawyer and managing partner at AVG Legal.
"When every third crime is related to technology, and every fifth is related to drugs, this is no longer about "difficult teenagers", this is about the market into which they are drawn as a convenient and vulnerable resource," he stressed.
Teenagers today, according to him, are ideal performers for such schemes: a low level of responsibility, high suggestibility, a desire for quick money and a complete lack of understanding of the consequences.
— They don't need to be persuaded for a long time — it's enough to offer easy earnings through a messenger, — the expert noted. — Prevention doesn't work when a teenager has access to the criminal economy on his phone 24/7.
Previously, juvenile delinquency was mainly of a domestic nature, but now it is often embedded in organized schemes, especially in the field of drugs and cybercrime, Alexey Gavrishev added.
"The consequences for teenagers are getting heavier, up to the actual deadlines for serious injuries," the lawyer said. — And the main risk is that we are dealing not with a surge, but with a new norm. If we don't change our approach — not only to increase responsibility, but also to work with the digital environment in which teenagers live — these statistics will only grow.
How to protect children from the criminal environment
Children and adolescents can get into a criminal environment when the basic conditions of their mental and social maturation are violated, says Maria Todorova, a child and family psychologist and neuropedagogue.
— During puberty, the emotional sphere is already actively working, and the frontal lobes of the brain, responsible for predicting consequences and self-regulation, are still in the formative stages. They are formed before the age of 21, and sometimes even longer," the expert explained. — Normally, this imbalance is compensated by a stable attachment to a parent, mentor or teacher. This is how a teenager borrows the ability to self-control, orientates himself within the limits of what is acceptable and learns to withstand impulses.
If a child does not have a reliable emotional connection with a significant adult, he finds himself alone with intense feelings: anxiety, insecurity, and an urgent need for acceptance. As a result, he begins to look for a substitute attachment — usually among peers — and runs the risk of falling into an antisocial group.
— This is directly related to the growth of group crime, involvement in drug trafficking and offenses using digital technologies, where the factor of group and recognition plays a key role, — the psychologist believes.
She added that for teenagers with attachment deficits, the Internet often becomes a space where you can quickly gain a sense of importance, belonging, and control. But in the absence of self—control, this can lead to risky and illegal behavior, including participating in destructive communities and committing cybercrimes.
— It is important to understand that prevention cannot be limited to formal measures or one-time actions. First of all, this includes working with a family, teaching parents the skills of emotional contact with a teenager, developing a mentoring institute, and increasing the role of a significant adult in school," Maria Todorova clarified.
In addition, psychological trainings aimed at developing emotional intelligence and self-regulation skills should be conducted for adolescents, the expert believes.
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