I think that part of the reason kids are so disrespectful of other people's property is because they do not value it and they do not expect any consequences for destroying it. Most kids today are handed everything they have: clothes, computers, cars, etc. Their parents pay for everything; the kids pay for nothing. They have never had to save up their money to buy something they wanted. When I was a teen, I worked at McDonald's and earned $3.35 per hour. If I wanted to buy something that cost $20, it took me almost 6 hours of "Welcome to McDonald's, may I take your order please?" to earn it. If I wanted something more expensive, say a tv, I had to work weeks to afford it. Usually, I just saved the money. I wasn't allowed to use a credit card unless I already had the money saved and could pay the charge in full. Having to work for my spending money and save for things I wanted taught me to value the things I bought and to respect the value of other people's things (because I knew they had worked hard for those things). Kids today think that money grows on trees and that material things can easily be replaced (with the help of daddy's credit card). I also think that a lot of kids who are teens now grew up in daycare centers and didn't get a lot of attention from their parents. Even small children know when they are playing second fiddle to mom or dad's career, hobby, etc. and they resent it. Kids need their parents' attention and love, and they don't get it by spending 8+ hours in daycare. They end up being angry, hateful human beings and they probably don't even know why.