[Whipspeed]

Not enough parental input or dicipline or just plain old fashioned interest in your child and what they think and feel, parents need to have conversations with their children and their friends. I know of several friends who my lad could talk to if he couldn't speak to me and likewise, I've been asked by a friend to help with her lad who was going through a rough patch and wouldn't speak to her, he did speak to me and we sorted it out over a mug of coffee and now he can talk to his mum again. Lack dicipline in school etc. Also agree with Summer, too much sugar & beat em up games. Also look at cinema, the type of films there are nowadays, all the so called torture porn that seems to be mainstream now, ie Saw movies etc, which seem to immune them to the fact that violence causes pain and grief.
I'm very lucky, my son is a great kid, 17 and no problems. I'm lucky, he has been to a very good school and is involved in the rugby squad, which is a great way of getting rid of any agression, he is also out there doing his Duke of Edinburgh award and has also been in the school cadet force. He does play on his games machine, but I've been very careful as he grows up to only get age suitable games, although he does have the 18's now, he is capable of knowing what is right and wrong.
He has a great group of friends, boys and girls who seem to be a real mutual support to each other, they really talk things through.
There is alot of media coverage for the bad apples and I don't think the problem is as bad as it seems, but something does need to be done to stop things like the murder so recently in the press.