At the beginning of 2025, a child murder that dominated public discourse in Turkey revealed not just an individual tragedy but raised a deeper and more disturbing question: Why has youth become so fragile?
This tragic incident, involving children barely in adolescence, led to a nationwide reckoning—not only with the justice, security, and education systems but also with how society connects (or fails to connect) with its young people. The social reaction that followed was not limited to the perpetrator or the victim; it broadened into a larger inquiry: What do young people in Turkey feel? What are they experiencing? What do they want? Why are they so anxious? And why are some of them channeling that anxiety into anger—even violence?
Amidst these questions, the joint report published in 2025 by TOG and KONDA, titled “If Turkey Were 100 Young People,” emerged as a revealing document, illuminating the silence with stark statistics. The report shows that young people are detached from cultural life, lack access to international experiences, are unable to envision their future, live in isolated bubbles within social media, and suffer from deep unhappiness.
We are living in a time when youth is not only physically, but also emotionally and socially, vulnerable—trapped between hopelessness and disappointment. As a result of this fragility, some young people withdraw silently, while others externalize their pain as anger toward the outside world. Unless society acknowledges and seeks to address this new vulnerability, preventing similar tragedies in the future seems unlikely.
Data Speaks – The Reality of Youth in Turkey
Youth is one of the most critical societal indicators, reflecting both the present and future of a country. The 2025 report “If Turkey Were 100 Young People,” prepared jointly by the Community Volunteers Foundation (TOG) and KONDA Research and Consultancy, presents striking data about the lives of young people in Turkey aged 17 to 25. The findings in the report reflect not only individual choices but also the impact of social structures and the political climate on youth.
One of the most striking findings is the disconnection from cultural life. Ninety percent of young people have not attended a theater performance in the past three months. Seventy-five percent have never visited a museum. Participation in concerts and cinema is also significantly low. This situation cannot be explained by economic reasons alone; it also indicates a lack of belonging, freedom, and motivation.
According to the report, only 16% of young people have a passport. Eight out of ten have never been abroad in their lives. This reveals a narrowing of imaginative horizons and a very weak connection to the international world.
Their mental state is just as alarming as the economic and cultural indicators. In 2015, only 9% of young people described themselves as “unhappy” or “very unhappy.” By 2025, this figure has risen to 22%. During the same period, the number of those who say they are “happy” has significantly declined. Eight out of ten young people believe their fundamental freedoms are under threat.
Perhaps one of the most revealing indicators is their perception of time: half of those aged 17 to 25 cannot plan more than five years ahead. This not only reflects economic insecurity but also a constricted perception of the future. A youth unable to foresee tomorrow struggles to find meaning in today.
Cultural withdrawal, social isolation, economic uncertainty, and psychological fragility have become the four defining dimensions of youth in Turkey. This is not merely an individual struggle—it is a collective impasse.
New Generation Gangs, Belonging Crisis, and Outbursts of Rage
In an environment where youth is surrounded by unhappiness, hopelessness, and loneliness, the drift into crime can no longer be explained as a series of isolated incidents—it has become a deeply systematic issue. This reality surfaced once again, in a deeply painful way, with the death of Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi. The fact that the investigation following the incident was conducted under the scope of “organized crime” revealed that we are not merely dealing with individual acts of violence, but with a larger structure involving young people.
These structures are not new in Turkey, but their forms are changing. Youth gangs are no longer just neighborhood-based protection groups; they are increasingly becoming loosely connected, fragmented networks that organize through platforms like TikTok and Instagram, using violence as a means of visibility, belonging, and power. Subcultures like “drill” rap, the aesthetics of “street codes,” and images of luxury consumption have become central to the identity of these groups. Names like “Daltonlar,” “Redkits,” or “Anucurlar” now represent spaces where youth seek belonging—both in the streets and online.
Data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) for 2022 and 2023 confirm this transformation with alarming clarity. In 2022, one-third (34.4%) of children brought before security units were processed for being involved in crime. This rate remained nearly unchanged in 2023 at 33.3%. The increase between 2010 and 2022 reached a staggering 148%. The most common offenses among these children are assault and theft, but recent years have seen a significant rise in weapons possession, extortion, and drug-related crimes.
What’s even more striking is that a significant number of these children are also recorded as victims. According to 2023 data, 45% of the children brought to security units were also registered as victims. This means that children who have been abused, subjected to violence, or neglected are often the same individuals who later become involved in crime. These figures highlight the overlap between victimhood and perpetration—showing that some unprotected children, left outside the system, transform into new threats.
Poverty is not the sole reason young people turn to gangs. Domestic violence, detachment from school, exclusion from the future, and the inability to form emotional bonds with society also pave the way to crime. Gangs fill this void—offering promises of status, visibility, “family,” and even street justice. The false sense of community offered by these structures replaces the belonging that traditional institutions have failed to provide.
Root Causes – The Social Dynamics Severing Youth from the Future
The unhappiness, anger, or drift into crime among young people cannot be reduced to a single cause. This is a structural and multi-layered issue. When we look at the data in the TOG & KONDA report alongside statistics on juvenile delinquency, we not only see what young people are experiencing—but also why. Beneath the surface lie deep-rooted causes such as economic deprivation, social exclusion, educational inequality, and emotional neglect. And these factors are becoming increasingly acute.
- Economic Deprivation and Inequality
Poverty is not just about income—it concerns living standards, access to nutrition, housing, and social opportunities. In Turkey, 8% of young people define themselves as directly poor. But this is only the visible tip of the iceberg. A much larger segment struggles to meet basic needs. Especially in major cities, children encounter unemployment and insecurity at an early age. The lack of opportunities takes away not only their ability to consume, but also their right to dream. Expectations for the future shrink, while feelings of insecurity grow.
- NEET Youth and Unemployment
According to OECD data, Turkey ranks among the highest in Europe for youth who are “Not in Education, Employment, or Training” (NEET). These young people are disengaged from the system—socially and economically disconnected. They haven’t managed to stay in school, nor have they found employment. They become invisible. Gangs target these gaps directly. It becomes much easier to reach these youth with promises of belonging, status, and income.
- Fragmented Families and Parental Neglect
The family is a young person’s first support system. But domestic violence, neglect, indifference, or financial pressure can weaken that support. Children who don’t receive emotional validation or guidance from their families seek connections elsewhere. Especially in low-income households, children are often forced to work or spend time on the streets at an early age—lowering the age of first contact with risk.
- Educational Inequality and School Dropout
The education system fails to retain and engage youth. Those who drop out, feel academically inadequate, or cannot find a place for themselves in school are pushed to the margins. Education is not just academic—it is also a form of social safety. Those deprived of this safety become more vulnerable to crime, radical groups, or social media addiction.
- Urbanization, Migration, and Social Integration Issues
Children of families who have migrated from rural to urban areas often feel disconnected from both their place of origin and their new environment. These children struggle to build secure social ties. Feelings of isolation, alienation, and exclusion become key triggers for anger.
Each of these reasons is a crisis in itself. But when considered together, they offer a clearer picture of why young people struggle to find spaces for self-expression and why they are trapped between hopelessness and rage. Violence and gang involvement are merely outcomes. The real issue lies in the very existence of this underlying ground.
Seeking Solutions – International Models and Takeaways for Turkey
The multilayered fragility surrounding today’s youth cannot be addressed solely through criminal justice systems, security policies, or education reforms in isolation. In both Turkey and around the world, effective solutions are being developed through multi-agency, holistic, and long-term approaches. Successful models for addressing the societal dynamics that lead young people into crime show that social services and security policies are not mutually exclusive, but rather must work hand in hand.
- United States – The OJJDP Model: Coordinated and Targeted Intervention
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), operating under the U.S. Department of Justice, offers a multi-stakeholder approach to addressing youth crime. This model is built around five key strategies:
- Community Mobilization: Ongoing collaboration among local governments, NGOs, and public institutions.
- Providing Opportunities: Access to education, vocational skills training, and employment opportunities.
- Social Intervention: Psychological support, family counseling, and substance abuse treatment.
- Targeted Law Enforcement: Police interventions focused on individuals at high risk of violence—strategic rather than purely punitive.
- Institutional Reform: Child-focused improvements that reduce bureaucratic barriers within the juvenile justice system.
The model’s success lies in seeing young people not as threats to be managed, but as individuals who can be reintegrated into society.
- Latin America – The Lesson of Avoiding Excessive Repression
In countries such as El Salvador and Honduras, “iron fist” policies aimed at eliminating youth gangs not only failed but often hardened these groups. These cases demonstrate how security policies that are not supported by social investment can backfire. For Turkey, these examples serve as warnings: suppressing youth may bring short-term calm, but in the long run it can produce more organized and ruthless structures.
- Europe – Integration, Inclusion, and Early Intervention
Countries such as Sweden, the Netherlands, and Germany tackle youth crime through early detection, school-based support programs, and family counseling. These countries prioritize social inclusion through youth centers, social workers, and participatory local initiatives, with a strong focus on preventing youth marginalization.
What Can Be Done for Turkey?
- A National Youth Policy Is Essential
Youth-related issues in Turkey are scattered across multiple ministries and institutions. A unified and inclusive national youth policy must be developed. This policy should go beyond education and encompass housing, health, mental well-being, and social participation within a comprehensive framework.
- Targeted Programs for NEET Youth
Programs aimed at youth who are “Not in Education, Employment, or Training” (NEET) should be expanded. These should include employment pathways, skill development, and entrepreneurship support. It is crucial to bring visibility to these young people and reconnect them with the system.
- Local Governments and Youth Centers
Neighborhood-based youth centers must be strengthened and supported by social workers. These centers should offer more than cultural activities—providing psychological counseling, career guidance, and holistic support services.
- Education Policies to Prevent Dropout
Leaving school puts youth on the edge of risk. Alternative education models, second-chance programs, and mental health support systems must be implemented to bring disconnected students back into the fold.
- Understanding Social Media and Cultural Codes
Aesthetic models of crime are now shaped by social media. Law enforcement, educators, and social workers need to understand this digital language, analyze it, and develop intervention tools grounded in its cultural context.
- Trauma-Informed Justice Approaches
Many children who commit crimes are also victims. Legal processes must prioritize child-friendly, trauma-informed, and restorative justice principles that do not retraumatize youth.
What Do Young People Actually Want?
The answer is not complicated. Young people want to live—not merely to exist, but to matter. They want to be seen, heard, understood, and included. They want to feel safe, be respected, know that their voices have value, and—most fundamentally—believe that the future belongs to them.
The TOG & KONDA report shows that in Turkey, young people are disconnected from cultural life, economically constrained, feel their freedoms are under threat, and face a narrowing sense of the future. A generation that wants to explore the world, change it, and leave a mark is confronted with a wall of silence. This is why some turn inward, some grow angry with the system, and some resort to violence. The murder of Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi is not just a legal case—it is a painful sign of what happens when societies fail to hear their youth: silence turns into rage.
When read alongside international data, the picture becomes even clearer. Sources like Pew Research Center, Gallup, and McKinsey show that youth across the world—not just in Turkey—are fragile, under pressure, and worried about the future. But they also highlight that this generation is resilient, self-aware, and deeply committed to justice.
The silence of today’s youth is not due to disinterest—it is often the result of not being given space to speak. We are not facing a generation that refuses to talk, but one that has not been listened to. And this generation is running out of patience.
Today, we face a choice: we can either hear this silent outcry and initiate a genuine transformation that includes young people at every institutional level—or we can continue to look away, allowing more and more young people to drift outside the system.
The future will be built on the space we offer young people today. Unless we provide them with trust, opportunity, voice, and justice, we risk not only individual potential—but an entire nation’s social energy.
Young people are no longer afraid of hardship—they fear being ignored. And taking that fear seriously is not only a political responsibility, but a human one
Sources:
– TOG & KONDA, If Turkey Were 100 Young People Report (2025)
– TÜİK, Children Referred to Security Units Data (2022–2023)
– CHP, Children Pushed into Crime Report (2010–2022)
– Pew Research Center, Most Young Adults Believe Their Generation Will Be Worse Off (2023)
– McKinsey & Company, Gen Z and the Future of Work: Trends and Insights (2024)
– Gallup, Global Hope Index Report (2023)
– OECD, Risks That Matter – Youth Edition (2022)
– OJJDP, Comprehensive Gang Model (2020)