Violence by young people is one of the most visible forms of violence in society. Around the world, newspapers and the broadcast media report daily on violence by gangs, in schools or by young people on the streets. The main victims and perpetrators of such violence, almost everywhere, are themselves adolescents and young adults. Homicide and non-fatal assaults involving young people contribute greatly to the global burden of premature death, injury and disability.
Youth violence deeply harms not only its victims, but also their families, friends and communities. Its effects are seen not only in death, illness and disability, but also in terms of the quality of life. The problem of youth violence cannot be viewed in isolation from other problem behaviors. Violent young people tend to commit a range of crimes, such as truancy and dropping out of school, substance abuse, reckless driving and high rates of sexually transmitted diseases. However, not all violent youths have significant problems other than their violence and not all young people with problems are necessarily violent.
There are close links between youth violence and other forms of violence. Witnessing violence in the home or being physically or sexually abused, for instance, may condition children or adolescents to regard violence as an acceptable of resolving problem. Understanding the factors that increase the risk of young people being the victims or perpetrators of violence is essential for developing effective policies to prevent violence.
Another common set of prevention strategies addressing youth violence focuses on early intervention with children and families. Such programs provide parents with information about child development and teach them how to manage family conflict and improve communication, improving school setting including teachers practice school policies and security, efforts to reduce media violence, strengthening and improving police and judicial systems, reforming educational systems, policy changes to reduce poverty and inequality also included are legislative, judicial, and educational reforms as well as other policy reforms designed to mitigate the effects of rapid social change and tackle gun violence among youths.