Could also be an urban vs suburban vs rural thing as well. Out here in the sticks, there’s less pressure into crime and violence because there’s less infrastructure for it via gangs, fences, and less access to weaponry without education in their use. That last isn’t as off as it seems, btw; when you get drummed in that guns are for hunting as their primary use, you tend to think of them as tools for that first, with other uses secondary. Knives aren’t much different because rural kids have often seen them used on game, so they don’t have that disconnect about exactly how dangerous they can be.
But we do have our share of crime, with teenagers included as both victims and perpetrators. It just tends to be more drug abuse, drunk stupidity, and non-weapon related violence for stupidity. Less armed robbery among the younger folks for sure, and I don’t think there’s been a car jacking in the entire county this year.
But, I actually factored that kind of thing into my opinion. I have family in cities, so I get news and second hand info from denser populations. I think you hit the nail on the head with your closing sentence. The kids that the system, that society doesn’t catch in safety end up sucked into the worst parts of human behavior because they can’t see a way out. They end up living with crime and violence, so they see it as a primary option for survival, and with a poor safety net, a better option.