Netflix and Facebook helping reduce youth crime

Young people are spending less time in unsupervised environments where opportunistic offending may be more attractive, such as 'hanging out' on the streets. Youth crime in New South Wales has declined significantly in last two decades in part due to young people spending more time at home on the Internet and less time 'hanging out' on the street, according to new research from The Australian National University (ANU). The research looked at NSW police data of crime rates for people aged 10-21 who were born in 1984, compared to those born in 1994. The results showed that by age 21, the proportion of the population that had come into contact with the criminal justice system had halved, with particularly significant decreases in vehicle theft (-59 per cent), property theft (-59 per cent) and drink-driving (-49 per cent). Lead researcher and criminologist Dr Jason Payne of the ANU Research School of Social Sciences said there is little doubt the decline was in part due to the changing habits of young people. "Young people are spending less time in unsupervised environments where opportunistic offending may be more attractive, such as 'hanging out' on the streets," Dr Payne said. "An increased use of home entertainment and social media is also reducing opportunities for traditional forms of crime." However, Dr Payne warned while more time in a digital environment may help reduce traditional crime, it may also open the door to newer forms of criminal activities.