Social media-fueled teen flash mobs prompt closures of businesses and public centers nationwide

Fox News

2 days ago

Throughout the country, swaths of dozens — sometimes hundreds — of teens are creating chaos in malls, public pools and other community spaces, with some instances leading to arrests for violent behavior and bans from businesses.
On Independence Day weekend, a crowd of hundreds of teens descended on an Illinois pool, disturbing families and partaking in illegal activity that led to the arrest of one individual.
Officers with the Glen Ellyn Police Department were called to the local park district's pool at around 5 p.m. July 5 for reports of "a growing crowd of teenagers and young adults" that grew to approximately 200 to 300 individuals, according to a media release.
While at the pool, officials observed some of the attendees entering the area without paying, smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol and setting off fireworks, police said.
"It seems like a horde of kids have just come in, smoking marijuana, carrying coolers in," a caller told 911 dispatchers, according to WGN9.
Witnesses visiting the pool with their children also reported the teens were using speakers to play loud music with inappropriate lyrics, the outlet reported.
Body camera footage obtained by Fox News Digital showed officers arriving and attempting to disperse the unruly crowd.
In the footage, an officer spoke with an individual identified as the pool manager, who notified him that the group is "not listening to the lifeguards."
As the events unfolded, the group allegedly pushed the pool manager into the water.
"They just pushed me in," the unidentified woman can be heard saying as the group continued partying. "I need to get them all out."
Authorities then began attempting to round up the teens while telling them to leave the pool, leading to verbal altercations between the crowd and officers.
"Go home," one officer told the group. "The property is closed."
Chaos then erupts as a loud bang is heard when a firework is set off, and officers warned the crowd to leave or face jail.
The local pool eventually closed for the day, and one person was taken into custody for setting off fireworks in the area.
A similar incident unfolded last week at a California mall, the Brentwood Police Department said in a Facebook post.
On July 11, more than 300 juveniles reportedly showed up at a local shopping center, police said.
The children "arrived in ride-share vehicles or other means of transportation from outside the area," according to officials.
As they descended on the plaza, "several in the group became unruly" and began fighting, knocking items off of shelves inside local businesses and running out into traffic, authorities said.
At one point, officers initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle that resulted in them approaching the driver with guns drawn because they received reports of the individual having a weapon. After a search, no guns were found.
Authorities eventually issued dispersal orders as local businesses closed their doors early.
One juvenile was arrested for battery on a police officer and four were arrested for various misdemeanor charges, police said.
"It was the cops chasing the kids around, the kids fighting and then it just got rowdier and rowdier," an unnamed witness told Fox KTVU. "I mean, my daughter is on social media. She's a teen, and she saw it days before I did, but, yeah, I don't know if the cops thought it was going to be as crazy as it was."
The Brentwood Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
The rise in incidents throughout the country is sparking national headlines and concern among parents with their children are out of school for the summer.
In the body camera footage released from the events at the Illinois pool, an unidentified girl revealed to an officer that the invitation for the gathering was distributed through TikTok, a seemingly common trend that is concerning experts.
"What's happening with large groups of teens overrunning malls and public spaces isn't just 'kids being kids,'" Jonathan Albert, a New York City-based psychotherapist, told Fox News Digital. "It's a symptom of a deeper cultural breakdown, and unless we're willing to address it, these flash mobs will only get worse."
Alpert pointed to a growing lack of accountability among younger generations as a contributing factor to the bad behavior sweeping the nation.
"As a psychotherapist, I see a generation raised without enough structure," Alpert said. "Too many parents have been afraid to say 'no,' schools hesitate to discipline and society tiptoes around holding young people accountable. The result is exactly what we're seeing play out across our country: Teens testing limits because they haven't learned where those limits are."
The use of social media also plays a unique role in not only allowing teens to organize quickly, but encouraging them to act out for online validation, according to Alpert.
"Social media has only made it worse," Alpert said. "These gatherings aren't spontaneous. They're staged for likes, shares and clout. The behavior escalates because there are no real consequences."
The licensed psychotherapist implores parents, law enforcement and businesses to work together to reach a solution regarding not only holding children accountable, but keeping them safe.
"Businesses and communities must crack down with clear, consistent enforcement," Alpert said. "But let's not pretend this is just a policing issue. It's a parenting issue. It's a cultural issue. And unless adults step up and model respect for rules and shared spaces, we'll keep seeing teens treating public areas like their personal playgrounds."