BANGKOK – Many social analysts agree that Thai society pushes children towards violence. Children can only express themselves through authority and norms and have little family support or understanding.
Several violent cases have recently occurred among younger people in Thailand, such as the case of a 14-year-old who opened fire in a shopping mall, resulting in the deaths of three victims; five children who assaulted and buried alive a 47-year-old homeless woman; a student who murdered a classmate with a wrench; and another student who fatally stabbed a classmate in front of a flagpole.
Sompong Jitradub, an education expert, said that Thai society is reproducing children in a way that will inevitably lead to the loss of society if the problems are not addressed. He suggests that it is not enough to simply enforce stricter laws. Instead, Thai society must prevent itself from producing fewer children of poor quality.
He added that the current family system is weak. Parents are often too busy with their work and spoil their children with expensive gadgets like smartphones instead of spending time with them. Coupled with the inadequacies in the education system, where teachers are burdened with an excessive workload, children are neglected as individuals.
Public indifference or neglect towards these children stems from the normalization of teasing, bullying, and ridicule in the past. While such behaviors were once considered acceptable, they are now viewed as inappropriate due to today’s children having a stronger sense of individuality, intensified by the COVID-19 lockdown.
This isolation has led to excessive smartphone usage, exposing them to violent and inappropriate content. Additionally, easy access to drugs like marijuana, methamphetamine, and electronic cigarettes around schools further contributes to their susceptibility to violence.
“As someone who has been working with children for 30 years, I can see that the new generation of children is gradually forming gangs, causing problems and unrest everywhere. This is because the school system lacks flexibility and space for children to express themselves and relax. It has become a space filled with authority and regulations. Therefore, it is impossible for any ministry or government department alone to address this issue. The government may need to take on the responsibility and tackle this problem seriously,” he said.
Causes of aggression
According to statistics from the Department of Children and Youth Protection, 12,000 cases of children and young people committing criminal offenses were reported in the period 2022-2023. More than half of the offenders had completed high school and most came from broken homes.
Assoc. Prof. Adisak Plitponkarnpim, director of the National Institute for Child and Family Development at Mahidol University, explains that aggressive behavior in children is typically divided into two categories: those who seek attention and those who respond to threats. The former often has to do with peer pressure and a desire for dominance, while the latter stems from feeling threatened and reacting violently.
The causes of this aggressive behavior can be traced back to three main factors: genetic predisposition due to abnormal brain development, upbringing and external influences such as media, drugs and academic competition, which destroy the natural joy of childhood and hinder creative thinking.
“There are 700,000 – 800,000 children using electronic cigarettes compared to 70,000 last year”. This is a significant environmental factor that correlates with aggressive behavior and can occur in children growing up in affluent or poor families. There is currently an increasing trend of violent behavior among children, although some cases are likely to remain hidden and have yet to be uncovered.
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