Snapping is the dangerous teen craze every parent should know about

There’s a new sub-type of antisocial behaviour being perpetrated by youths and young men in the UK, known as ‘snapping’.

It involves teens doing wheelies on their bikes and e-bikes directly into the path of pedestrians and oncoming cars, before swerving at the very last minute.

Of course, they don’t always leave enough time to avoid a collision, injuring people children, as well as forcing vehicles to brake sharply.

Neighbourhood Watch’s (NW) head of membership, Cheryl Spruce, tells Metro it’s something she’s witnessed happening in central London and has spoken to many NW members who are worried about how dangerous this trend is.

‘It’s about getting a reaction,’ Cheryl says. ‘They feel empowered because there’s a lot of them doing it, so they’re being bold and not caring about pedestrians or other road users.

‘I was at a community meeting last night in Kidbrooke (Greenwich) and members said their elderly relatives were finding it difficult to go outside because there are a lot of youngsters on bikes, so they’re not feeling safe to walk on the pavements as they get cut off.

‘It’s really, really dangerous.’

Videos circulating online show a young girl being knocked off her pram on a promenade by a young boy purposely doing a wheelie towards her and her parents, while another clip sees a young man get flipped off his bike after he wheelies in front of a car.

Other pedestrians have ended up falling over in an attempt to run away from the bikes, while others cower in fear.

‘Young people are looking for an outlet,’ Cheryl adds. ‘It’s understandable young people are trying to get this thrill factor but many don’t understand the dangers they’re putting themselves and other people through.

They aren’t thinking of the repercussions, people can get seriously hurt from just a fall. They need to learn to be respectful of people and the environment in which they live in.’

Snapping is the dangerous teen craze every parent should know about