teenage: Close-up shot of young woman in glasses writing notes with classmates studying in background.

Whatever Happened to the Teenage Shoplifter (and Vandal, Arsonist, Burglar, Joyrider)?

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More than anything else, property crime defines traditional concepts of “the teenager.” Vandalism, shoplifting, burglary, joyriding, arson, petty theft … all senseless things “dumb kids” do that jeopardize their futures and immiserate everyone’s lives.The teenage shed-torcher, windshield smasher, petty klepto, spray-painter and thrill-seeker whose anti-social destruction defies decency and reason infuriates adults to our core. It is no wonder crime scholars immersed in that era disparage “teenage brains.” 

In 1978, the first year California released comprehensive crime numbers by age, more than 130,000 youths were arrested for felony and misdemeanor property offenses. Back then, youths under age 18 accounted for a shocking 43% of all property offense arrests. 

Now, that whole species of “teenagers” as we knew it seems to have vanished. Property crime arrests of Californians under age 18, 1978-2018

In 2018, California’s teenaged youth population ages 10-17 was 1.1 million larger than 40 years earlier, Yet, fewer than 10,000 youths were arrested for all felony and misdemeanor property offenses — a 95% decline in the rate of juvenile property arrests. Youths now account for just 8% of California’s property-crime arrests. 

The most astonishing drop is among the youngest.

On College Campuses, Hookahs Are Being Smoked Out

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If you are concerned about your health, step away from the hookah.  The belief that the ornate water pipes are far safer than cigarettes may be going up in smoke.  Researchers found that the water in the hookah only filters 5 percent of the nicotine contained in the smoke. Hookahs are gaining in popularity on college campuses across the country and the American Lung Association is making anti-hookah legislation a top priority. “Teens and young adults are initiating tobacco use through these hookahs with the mistaken perception that the products are somehow safer or less harmful than cigarettes,” Paul G. Billings, a vice president of the American Lung Association, told the New York Times. “Clearly that’s not the case.”

The danger lies in how hookahs are smoked.  Hookah sessions usually last about an hour as hoses attached to the pipe are passed around.  In a typical session a smoker could inhale the equivalent of 100 cigarettes while also exposing themselves to tuberculosis and herpes through the communal hoses. Cities are beginning to take notice, passing ordinances to limit the amount of new hookah bars opening and college campuses are rewriting anti-smoking rules to outlaw hookahs.