Expert urges systemic action as youth violence grows more complex

Mental-health problems and violence involving children and young people in Thailand became more severe and complex in 2025 and 2026, with surveys showing that 29% of young people felt lonely or isolated and more than half experienced stress over family relationships.

Experts attribute the trend to increasingly pressured surroundings, social media and parents having less time for their children. A child and adolescent psychiatrist has stressed, however, that large-scale violent incidents do not arise from any single cause but from several overlapping factors.

One of the most important and clearly identifiable risks is young people’s access to weapons, requiring prevention measures across the entire system.

The issue has come under renewed attention following the recent serious violence at Debsirin Nonthaburi School.

A nationwide survey of 12,139 young people conducted in 2025 by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and the Child and Family Policy Knowledge Centre found that 29% felt lonely and isolated, 14% frequently experienced stress and 7% were dissatisfied with their lives.

Loneliness and stress were largely linked to weak relationships and a lack of connection within families.

The 2025 Children and Families Situation Report also found that the proportion of Thai young people experiencing stress over relationships with family members rose from 43.5% in 2023 to 56.1% in 2025.

No single cause behind large-scale violence

Dr Varoth Chotpitayasunondh, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and spokesman for the Department of Mental Health, told Krungthep Turakij that a wide range of factors could contribute to violent behaviour among young people.

The precise causes of the latest incident and previous cases remained unknown, he said, because such events were generally complex and rarely attributable to one factor alone.

Possible pressures may include family problems, difficulties with friends, exposure to violence, bullying, mental-health conditions or drug-related problems.

Many young people experience one or more of these difficulties without committing violence, Varoth noted. Those who carry out serious attacks are more likely to have several complicated factors affecting them at the same time.

“At this stage, we still do not know the principal cause,” he said. “However, it is highly likely that there was no single cause, but rather several complex factors acting together.”

A crisis may occur when several pressures converge, including bullying at school, disputes, strained relationships with family members or teachers, drug-related problems and mental-health difficulties.

Varoth stressed that bullying alone could not explain such incidents, as many children experience it without resorting to violence.

Serious incidents appear to be recurring

Thai children and young people encounter violence both as victims and perpetrators.

Varoth estimated that more than half of Thai children may have experienced bullying at school, but said the wider concern was the apparent recurrence of large-scale violent incidents.

The Nonthaburi school incident on August 7, 2026, should be considered alongside earlier cases, including an incident involving an 18-year-old in Songkhla in February 2026 and the Siam Paragon attack involving a 14-year-old.

“General violence must be addressed, but what is particularly concerning is that large-scale violence appears to be occurring repeatedly,” he said.

“Previous cases suggest that many factors may be involved, but one of the most important is access to weapons.”

Varoth said weapon access could dramatically increase the seriousness of an incident. A young person facing several difficulties might otherwise respond in ways that caused more limited harm, but access to a weapon could make the consequences far more severe.

Prevention must cover the whole system

Varoth described the issue as a major systemic problem requiring action in several areas, beginning with weapon control and extending to the early identification of warning signs in schools.

Teachers should have systems for supporting students and referring those with mental-health concerns to appropriate services. Schools should not dismiss violence or bullying as children merely playing with one another.

At home, parents should provide guidance, avoid modelling violent behaviour and teach children how to manage difficult emotions without aggression.

Communities also have a role in notifying authorities when weapons are seen or used. The Mental Health Act should be applied where necessary to bring people experiencing serious problems into treatment.

Other priorities include improving access to child and adolescent mental-health services, strengthening the curriculum and developing safer school environments.

Schools urged to teach emotional management

A school mental-health curriculum could teach students how to recognise peers who may be at risk of violence, help one another, avoid bullying and manage their emotions when angry.

Young people could be encouraged to release stress through activities such as exercise or to seek advice from parents and other trusted adults instead of responding violently.

Varoth said a curriculum was unlikely simply to instruct children not to use firearms. Its broader purpose should be to improve their mental wellbeing and give them practical skills for responding to stress, conflict and anger.

Sharing images and speculation may encourage imitation

Varoth rejected the broad claim that children today were inherently more aggressive than earlier generations, saying aggression had existed among young people in every era.

What required closer examination was why similar large-scale incidents appeared to be occurring more frequently, potentially because access to dangerous weapons had increased.

He expressed particular concern about the sharing of images identifying young perpetrators.

A child experiencing similar thoughts or difficulties could be influenced by repeated exposure to such material, he said.

Publishing unverified claims about a motive could also create risks. For example, immediately concluding that an attacker had acted because of bullying could encourage imitation among other young people facing similar experiences.

Statistics over the past three years suggested that such incidents had recurred, Varoth said. The question was therefore not only whether another case might occur but when, making responsible reporting essential.

Media organisations and social media users should avoid sharing content in ways that could encourage copycat behaviour, as has occurred in other countries.

Young people face a more difficult environment

Mental-health problems among Thai children and young people have increased as they face a more challenging environment than earlier generations.

Social media can intensify pressures and expose young people to numerous triggers, while many parents have less time available because of heavier workloads.

These conditions have contributed to more serious mental-health difficulties and life-threatening crises among young people, requiring earlier detection and more accessible support.

Mental-health response divided into four groups

Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat has instructed relevant agencies to deploy teams to assist those affected by the latest incident.

Emergency medical services were initially assigned to care for the injured. Once the area was declared safe, Mental Health Crisis Assessment and Treatment Teams, or MCATTs, were to provide psychological support.

Those affected have been divided into four groups. Group A comprises injured people and relatives of those who died. Group B covers relatives of the injured and students who were present during the incident.

Group C includes parents and school staff, while Group D covers members of the general public experiencing fear or distress following the event.

“All teams are now on standby and will be deployed in accordance with the clearer assessment of the scale of the problem, so that support can be provided as comprehensively as possible,” Varoth said.

Source: Krungthep Turakij