Surge in Teen-on-Parent Violence: UK Figures Reveal Over 60% Increase in a Decade
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A disturbing trend is emerging in the United Kingdom: violence perpetrated by adolescents against their parents or step-parents has risen sharply over the past ten years. New data from scotland Yard reveals a more than 60% increase in reported incidents, raising concerns about escalating family tensions and the hidden prevalence of filial violence.
A Decade of Rising Incidents
Figures released by the metropolitan Police show a notable increase in offenses recorded between 2015 and late 2025.In 2015, there were 1,886 reported incidents of adolescents, aged 10 to 17, attacking a parent or step-parent. This number climbed to 3,091 in the first ten months of 2025 alone. While numbers edged upwards in the four years preceding 2020 – 1,804 in 2016, 2,068 in 2017, 2,239 in 2018, and 2,415 in 2019 – the upward trend began before 2020. A study conducted by researchers at the universities of Oxford and Manchester in 2020 further explored the pandemic’s impact on this form of abuse, with one parent sharing a harrowing experience: her son “beat me so badly that if the police did not come when they did, I would not be alive.”
Experts in the field emphasize that filial abuse remains a largely hidden and stigmatized form of family violence.The recorded numbers are believed to represent only a fraction of the true scale of the problem. Jane Griffiths, chief executive at Capa First Response, a charity supporting families affected by child-to-parent aggression, reports a 90% increase in referrals over the past two years. Griffiths notes that increased awareness of available help is highly likely playing a role, but other factors are also at play. “I spoke to a woman recently with a fractured jaw and a fractured finger from her daughter and she saeid that, you know, this has been going on for a long time, and it’s only when things are starting to escalate that I’m thinking, actually, maybe there’s more of a problem,” she explained.
Internal data from Capa First Response reveals spikes in parental referrals at ages six, eight, and twelve, suggesting that abusive behaviors can begin at a surprisingly young age. Griffiths also points to increasing child poverty in the UK and a perceived gap between parental expectations and children’s realities as potential drivers of the violence. “More and more families are struggling to meet expectations, maybe of children and what peers are getting,” she stated. “People are finding it really hard and struggling. when you struggle externally,you struggle within the systems of your family,relationships start to suffer.”
shifting Understandings and the Need for support
Helen Bonnick,author of Child to Parent Violence and Abuse: A Practitioner’s Guide to Working with Families,believes the rising figures may indicate a decrease in the stigma surrounding reporting such abuse. She highlights the significant increase in knowledge and understanding of this issue since 2010, when it was rarely discussed publicly. Bonnick also emphasizes the growing understanding of trauma and neurodiversity in shaping family dynamics. She notes that increased access to specialized services is encouraging more people to seek help, while cuts to adolescent mental health and children’s services might potentially be exacerbating the problem by reducing early intervention and support.
The range of violence reported is extensive, encompassing everything from punching and kicking to more severe acts like strangulation and the use of weapons. While studies suggest that abuse towards parents typically peaks between the ages of 14 and 16, the issue can manifest at any age. A recent storyline in the popular British television drama EastEnders, featuring the character Kat Slater grappling with her son’s violent behavior, has brought the issue into the public consciousness. A 2021 report by the domestic abuse commissioner indicated that between 3% and 5% of families experience serious physical violence from children towards parents, with broader definitions of aggression affecting around 10% of families.
the increasing recognition of child-to-parent violence as a serious issue is a crucial first step, but experts agree that more research, resources, and support are needed to address this hidden epidemic and protect vulnerable families.
