Overview
- Study leader Clemens Kroneberg links the increase to reduced peer contact during Covid restrictions, which hindered social and emotional skill-building.
- Teachers had fewer opportunities to spot and support at-risk students during the pandemic, according to the interview-based reporting.
- The rise is concentrated among adolescents born in Germany, while foreign-born youths commit fewer offenses than a decade ago.
- Researchers report a marked proportional increase in violent offenses by girls, citing changing gender norms, greater visibility through social media and more time spent in public spaces.
- Coverage notes heavy strain on schools from inclusion demands, language barriers, family stress, teacher shortages and class cancellations, limiting early intervention, and it has drawn mixed reactions from readers who question causes and methods.