Teen stabbings get overlooked in 2025's chaotic news cycle
Still image from video provided by Fairfax County Police Department during an emergency response to a teen who allegedly claimed that he just stabbed two people.
The 2025 news cycle feels like a car crash, whiplash and paresthesia included. Crime headlines have been focused in the direction of ongoing trials, but we noticed a trend of teen stabbing incidents and we simply cannot look away.
The lack of appropriate resources for teens in the United States is a continually overlooked deficit that is exploited by individuals who see the deficit as a financial opportunity. Teen facilities and treatment centers are riddles with abuse, lawsuits, and bad actors.
In early February, a Virginia teen in Fairfax County contacted emergency services and claimed that he had just killed two people. When an officer responded, he was met by a knife attack from the teen caller. The call appeared to be an attempt to assault an officer.
The incidents of teen involved stabbings across the country is overwhelming. Another incident in
Just days ago, Florida teen, Collin Griffith, was acquitted at trial after being charged with murdering his mother and claiming she fell on a knife. The same teen had previously killed his father. The community was shocked by his acquittal and the overall case.
In situations where a teen may be exhibiting harmful thoughts or behavior, help is not a phone call away. Facilities that treat teens are riddled with barriers that prevent teens in crisis from getting the assistance they need. Some facilities claim tey will accept a teen who is a current risk to themself or others, but that has not been our experience with teens who are in an active crisis.
We do not have a system in place that protects teens from domestic violence and/or human trafficking. The various departments across the country that are tasked with addressing claims of child abuse have their hands tied, or lack resources to impliment existing policies.
Over the last several years, the public learned more about how teens are managed within the department of child services. Teens across the country were being house in hotels, unsupervised, and surrounded by predators and traffickers.
Communities find it difficult to digest teen related crime and why it has spiraled. I would argue that it is more logical than it may seem on it’s face. As a country, we have failed to prioritize teens and mental health. We cannot expect blind loyalty from a group of individuals that we routinely overlook.
Departments that oversee child services across the country have policies that widely focus the majority of their resources on young children. Resources are majorly lacking, and in some communities that resources do not even exist, for teenage individuals.
Many of the stabbings in 2025 have been a result of a dispute or family violence. The programs that are currently in place to assist families with their teen children do not adequately address the core issues that tend to result in violent behaviors.
In 2024, there were cases of teens becoming angry with individuals they met online and in gaming communities, and would travel to carry out knife attacks against the online acquaintance.
Just this week, a child was reported missing and believed to be carrying around a large knife. The teen was considered to be a danger at the time, to himself and possibly others. The child was later found safe. These are just a few instances of an overwhelming, daily problem for communities across the country.
Other countries have also faced troubling stats for teen related stabbing incidients. I would argue that the weapon is less important than the motivating factors that produce violent thoughts and behavior. A knife is more accessible than other weapons that are used to carry out a violent action.
The BBC reported that the majority of teen related homicide victims were the result of a blade attack. The laser focus on the choice of weapon seems illogical. Teens are falling victim to a variety of violent behaviors and violent groups, and eventually perpetrating abuse on others.
There are programs that have been implemented in oither countries for teens who are facing issues within their family, addiction, or mental health concerns. Our country will need to prioritize teens in order to implement anything productive that actually addresses the core issues that are resulting in violence.