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Vandalism among teens is on the increase and some parents are at a loss of knowing how to cope with it, if their children are involved. The problem with vandalism is that the perpetrators are not often caught because it is usually done suddenly, without any notice, during the dark or out of sight, and often when the teen has either had too much to drink, is on drugs and needs money to buy more, has perhaps accepted a dare from their friends or is feeling hostile towards any adult or property owner. However, the most common reason for vandalism is sheer boredom and nothing to do. It is then easy to take it out on society through a lack of respect and a desire to be malicious. Teens are likely to get away with their actions the first few times which then makes them bolder and escalates the problem.

In New South Wales, Australia, this year, an 18 year old teenager was actually sentenced to three months for writing with a black marker on a cafe wall. The judge wanted to send a message to other youth that graffiti was not a frivolous issue any more and could lead to a jail sentence. Her act of vandalism earned an unexpected sentence which, no doubt, will be the beginning of many!

Vandalism is any destructive act or defacement, done wilfully or maliciously, in private or public, and without the owner's knowledge or consent. It can range from simple irritating actions like setting off alarms, damaging parked cars, breaking windows or throwing items out of them, to more serious crimes like stealing, tampering with public service places and equipment (e.g schools premises and telephone boxes), destroying unguarded or empty properties, spraying graffitti in public places and setting fires to objects.

If a parent is aware, through sure knowledge or heresay, that their teen is involved in any deviant vandalising behaviour, they could follow five steps to deal with the situation.

First, try to talk with the teen. Not in any accusatory way, but with a view to finding out whether they were definitely involved, and why, and especially to find out if any drugs or alcohol was involved. The reasons for vandalism are many, but, apart from being bored, it is also a form of expressing repressed anger, to have a feeling of power when the teen feels low in esteem or lacking in confidence, to have their art seen by others (as in the case of graffitti) and to compete with peers. Whatever the reason, the teen would have been showing blatant disregard and disrespect for other people

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