Some deaths leave a nation struggling to find words. The killing of 13-year-old Ishayat Shahriar Apratim is one such tragedy. What makes the incident even more disturbing is that the alleged perpetrators are also teenagers\u2014young people who should be studying, playing sports and preparing for their futures, not becoming involved in violent crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The question confronting society is therefore not only why Apratim was killed, but also how children and adolescents are increasingly becoming involved in organised violence and criminal activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apritim\u2019s case has once again drawn attention to the growing connection between teenage gangs and social media. Reports surrounding the killing indicate that the boy had gone out to meet friends using his mother\u2019s iPhone. That detail raises uncomfortable questions about parental supervision, children’s access to smartphones and the extent to which parents know about their children’s online and offline social circles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The issue, however, extends far beyond one family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Available crime reports and research cited in Bangladesh have pointed to an alarming rise in violence involving children and adolescents. Teenage gangs have increasingly been linked to crimes ranging from extortion and drug-related activities to robbery, assault, abduction, sexual violence and murder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of these groups operate within neighbourhoods, often exercising influence over local teenagers. School- and college-going girls can become targets of harassment, while vulnerable street children may also be subjected to abuse or exploited for activities such as transporting drugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The problem becomes more complicated when local influential figures allegedly provide protection or use young gang members for personal or political interests. In some areas, teenagers are reportedly mobilised to demonstrate strength, control territory or intimidate rivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What begins as a search for identity, recognition or social status can therefore develop into organised criminal behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most troubling aspects of teenage gang activity is the role of digital communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and IMO groups can allow gang members in different locations to communicate instantly. A confrontation that might once have involved a handful of people can now rapidly draw dozens of teenagers to a particular location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This digital connectivity can make it easier to organise group attacks, issue threats, arrange gatherings and circulate information within minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reports of clashes involving groups of 30 or 40 teenagers\u2014and, in some cases, much larger crowds\u2014raise an important question: how can so many young people be mobilised so quickly?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The misuse of technology is increasingly being identified as one factor behind this phenomenon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The problem also begins much earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many parents hand smartphones to young children simply to keep them occupied. A phone can make feeding a child easier, calm them when they are restless or provide a convenient distraction while parents attend to other responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what appears to be a short-term solution can gradually become a powerful habit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Children can spend increasing amounts of time on screens instead of reading, playing outdoors or engaging in creative activities. Unrestricted access can also expose them to material that is inappropriate for their age, while excessive screen use can affect their social, physical and emotional development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As children enter adolescence, their online experiences can increasingly shape their understanding of relationships, behaviour and social status. Exposure to violent or sexually explicit material, online harassment and harmful peer groups can create additional risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Social media itself does not automatically turn teenagers into criminals. But its unregulated use can provide an environment in which harmful behaviour spreads quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Online groups can reinforce peer pressure and create a sense of belonging around a gang. Displays of aggression, weapons, substance use or criminal activity can be presented as symbols of power or status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In some cases, online interactions can also lead to bullying, harassment, sexual exploitation, blackmail and other forms of abuse. Teenagers can be manipulated through relationships and subsequently threatened with the distribution of intimate material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The risks are particularly serious for adolescents, who may not yet have the experience to recognise manipulation or understand the long-term consequences of what they share online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The response to teenage gang violence cannot rest solely on arrests and punishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Families, schools, communities, technology platforms and law-enforcement agencies all have roles to play. Parents need to know what their children are watching, who they are communicating with and where they spend their time. Schools need stronger systems for identifying behavioural problems and preventing violence before it escalates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, children need safe alternatives: sports, cultural activities, reading, creative programmes and opportunities to develop healthy friendships and leadership skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Authorities also need to examine how local criminal networks recruit and protect minors and whether influential individuals are enabling such groups to operate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tragedy of Apratim’s death highlights two sides of the same crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Children must be protected from becoming victims of violence. But society must also prevent children from being drawn into becoming perpetrators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recent reports and studies cited in Bangladesh have linked excessive or harmful social-media use among young people to a range of social problems, including harassment, exploitation, blackmail and mental-health-related crises. Claims of this nature require careful, evidence-based investigation rather than treating social media as the sole cause of youth crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is clear, however, is that children are spending an increasing amount of their lives in digital spaces, and those spaces need stronger safeguards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apratim’s death should therefore prompt a broader national conversation\u2014not simply about one murder, but about the environment in which Bangladeshi children are growing up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keeping children safe requires more than taking away a phone. It requires responsible parenting, safer digital environments, effective law enforcement, meaningful opportunities for young people and action against those who exploit minors for criminal purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The objective should be twofold: ensuring that children do not become victims of violence, while also ensuring that they are not drawn into becoming perpetrators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The future of an entire generation depends on getting that balance right.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Some deaths leave a nation struggling to find words. The killing of 13-year-old Ishayat Shahriar Apratim is one such tragedy. What makes the incident even more disturbing is that the alleged perpetrators are also teenagers\u2014young people who should be studying, playing sports and preparing for their futures, not becoming involved in violent crime. The question […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":7758,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-5"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7743"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7763,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7743\/revisions\/7763"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}