Toronto is seeing a troubling rise in youth involvement in violent and high-risk crimes — from smash-and-grab robberies to shootings — raising alarm among community advocates. One youth worker says the motivations behind these crimes appear to be shifting.Marcell Wilson, the founder of One By One Movement, notes that the ages of those involved in “egregious acts” are getting younger, ranging from 12 to 15 years old.“When it comes to organized crime and gang culture, the ideology behind it has typically been about money and a lot of the time, violence was a last resort,” Wilson said.These days, a significant portion of the motivation to commit crimes stems from social media influence, also known as “clout,” Wilson notes.“This social currency has become equal to or arguably even of greater importance than money itself,” he continued. “Another issue that we’re seeing is that people committing these acts are eager to display them and want the city to be in fear.”Community leaders say fear, desperation, and shifting influences are driving more young people into violent crimeA recent example saw a 14-year-old boy charged with fatally stabbing a 71-year-old woman as she packed her groceries in a North York plaza parking lot. The teen allegedly appeared on a live stream on social media before he was arrested, openly talking about the heinous act.Earlier this month, a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old girl were charged with assault causing bodily harm that culminated in the alleged attack of a Pizza Pizza owner in Oshawa who tried to prevent the youths from stealing soda pop. An 11-year-old male was also identified as one of the suspects.It’s alleged that the male youth accused of fatally stabbing a 71-year-old woman in North York later appeared on a live-stream to discuss the crime. Photo: CityNews.“This has been something that we have been screaming from the rooftops for quite some time,” Wilson said. “The role that social media plays in this.”According to figures obtained by CityNews, 87 young people have been arrested in connection with gun violence in Toronto so far this year. That’s down from 112 arrests by the same time in 2024 — a 22 per cent decrease. Despite the decline, advocates stress that even one youth involved in such crimes is one too many.“There are so many broken things within the system. Things that are systemic, which we often dance around, we discuss. We have meetings about them, but nothing’s ever really done,” said Wilson, who agrees that youth found guilty of violent crimes need to be held accountable, but admits the work doesn’t end at a conviction; there needs to be more focus on reformation. “We’re punishing without protecting. We’re punishing without healing, and we need to invest in a lot more there,” he added. “Getting educated on social media culture and understanding that there is the child that you see at home every day, but then they have an online persona. Do you know your child’s online persona?”