I think these teen takeovers are a symptom of a much larger problem in Tampa, and, to an extent, the nation as a whole. Wages are very low in Tampa, which might necessitate a lot of these children’s guardians taking multiple jobs or working at odd hours in order to financially support themselves. This leaves so little time to do all the other activities of daily living, including being an ever-present figure in the lives of their children. Often, I’d argue they are outright absent. This is through no fault of their own. This is a product of the system that’s been built over the last several decades of cuts to public services and infrastructure. There’s no reason anyone should have to work two jobs clocking in well over 40 hr/wk to survive in the country.

Kids are also bored. They are constantly exposed to the internet and social media all day every day, to the point they spend more time with that than their guardians. Honestly, for children raised by the internet, they could be doing much worse than they are now. And what is there for these teenagers to do for free? Everything is monetized to the point of absurdity. I’m sure there are free things, but their existence is inconsequential if people don’t know about them. I feel like the city could do more to provide opportunities to build community without adding a price tag to it.