There have been a series of riots in your country for the last few days and today the disturbance has spread to your city. You are worried about your teenage child as they and their friends were in that vicinity when the rioting started. When they return home, you discover some items in their possession that you never saw before. The next day, you open the newspaper to see a picture of your child smashing the window of an electronics shop. Their face is not clearly visible in the photo but you are certain that it is them. You confront your child and they admit that they looted. They seem remorseful enough. The police, meanwhile, are appealing for members of the public to identify looters. Would you report your child? What factors might affect your decision?

Inspired by this article and this report.

I'd like to believe I would. Looting always damages people who had nothing to do with whatever protest or other situation that started it. This is a clearly defined right/wrong situation.

No.

Nope. They couldn't keep whatever they stole, but I wouldn't turn my kid into the police.

Marc™ wrote:

Nope. They couldn't keep whatever they stole, but I wouldn't turn my kid into the police.

This, they'd get a personal escort back to wherever they got whatever they got to put it back where they found it.

Marc™ wrote:

Nope. They couldn't keep whatever they stole, but I wouldn't turn my kid into the police.

CeCe wrote:

I'd like to believe I would. Looting always damages people who had nothing to do with whatever protest or other situation that started it. This is a clearly defined right/wrong situation.

My son is currently 12 and I absolutely would. But I think that my answer would change when he is an older teen, on the cusp of getting into college. But if this wasn't the first time he was doing something so terrible then nothing would matter, he would be called in by me.