A viral phenomenon known as the “teen takeover” has been popping up across major cities throughout the United States. This trend involves teenagers gathering in mass groups and storming public and private areas.
These events have occurred in cities including Detroit, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Los Angeles, North Texas and Chicago.
The one thing that all of these events have in common is the origin of which they are organized through, that being social media. Viral posts on TikTok and Instagram are shared among hundreds of teens resulting in the incidents.
As a result of this, Police have begun to enforce curfew laws to prevent the gatherings. Chicago PD recently used posts on social media to prevent events from occuring.
Although police have been more observant, many events have resulted in large amounts of damage costs and harm to public property. Some of which ended with multiple teens in handcuffs.
Pleasant Valley High schools resource officer, Deputy Curt Wilson, explained that the trend has created an unsafe setting. “With the teen takeover it can lead to fights, disorderly conduct charges, property damage, criminal mischief charges and disruptions to businesses and even shootings” said Wilson.
This trend has been and will continue to be very dangerous for all parties involved as interventions in large groups can quickly escalate.
“I have been to a place where I had to disperse several hundred citizens with several other deputies and officers and they didn’t leave the area,” said Wilson. “Things escalated and 25-50 shots were fired and someone was injured. But the citizens wouldn’t let us in to help the individuals hurt. It was a very stressful, chaotic and very scary scene.”
Social media presence in the lives of Generation Z has allowed teenagers to connect with each other across distances. However, it has given teens the ability to make movements or trends, such as the “teen takeover.”
These platforms have not only allowed teens to connect with one another but also to share their voices and given them the opportunity to be heard. Although the “teen takeover” doesn’t show a true motive, it provides a clear example of expressionism.
Liliana Guicho, a senior at Pleasant Valley High School, helped organize the recent student walkout to protest ICE. For the organizers, social media was their main way of communicating with other students about details for the walkout.
“Instagram specifically was our biggest reaching platform for the protest[…]As suspected a lot of other students were very helpful in reposting our message which quickly led to a bigger outreach than we would’ve initially expected,” shared Guicho.
This ability to spread awareness through social media has given teenagers the opportunity to share their voice when they normally wouldn’t be heard.
“Teens use social media platforms frequently, opening them up to a wider variety of news and information. By allowing teenagers to voice their opinion they are able to express themselves and find those who can agree with them,” said Guicho.
The “teen takeover” shows a clear example of how these social media platforms allow teens to reach out to each other. Whether there is a motive behind this seemingly random trend, both Guicho and Wilson acknowledge the need for safety when it comes to expressing through social media or in gatherings.
“While I think it’s helpful to take part in activism, I think it’s also essential to understand that safety should be at the forefront of everyone’s minds,” said Guicho. “Violence and destruction are excellent ways to pit people against rather than bring people to your cause.”
Teenagers have the opportunity to use social media in a positive way to share their voices, opinions, kindness and love with other people through a simple post.
“Social media can be good in so many ways to reconnect with friends you haven’t seen for a while to help someone with something,” said Wilson. “I know the most important thing social media can do is to spread joy, kindness, laughter and love and to put a smile on someone’s face and truly tell them you care for them!”
The “teen takeover” has brought the large role that social media plays on teen’s lives to the surface. And shown that teenagers can share their voices and make a movement, starting with social media. “By voicing our opinions we’re taking our first step through the door on our freedom of expression,” said Guchio.
