Aitcheson and Haas said they listen to what the kids are saying without passing judgment on them, which is something parents and educators need to do. The greatest surprise for Haas is that the kids are dying to talk to someone about violence. The experts blame the media and the music industry among other factors contributing to the rise of teenage violence, but the kids are saying otherwise, he said. Kids just laugh when they are asked if music drives kids to commit acts of violence. Students haven t changed over the years, society has changed, Haas said.
Society looks for excuses.
Parents need to pay more attention to their children, and bring them up the right way, said Egon Donnarumma, a 7 th grader at Woodbury Middle School. Donnarumma was among the kids interviewed Monday. Of the children interviewed so far not one of them has said they want more freedom. Instead they say they want more supervision, Haas said. Some of the teens interviewed say that parents are to blame for violent kids and that they need to provide more structure in their children s lives.