UK Police Warn Parents as Social Media Fuels Youth Urban Exploration

Key facts

• Police across the U.K. are warning parents about the dangers of urban exploration photography as more children enter abandoned buildings to go viral on social media.
• Northamptonshire Police issued a warning after several incidents during the school summer vacation, including a boy who fell through a glass skylight, suffering a facial laceration and a broken arm, and a child who broke their leg entering a restricted area.
• PCSO Scott Potter of Northampton's Neighbourhood Policing Team said these locations are often extremely dangerous and can pose a serious risk of injury or even death.
• Similar warnings were issued in Merseyside, Oxfordshire, and North Wales.
• On Jersey, the volunteer Honorary Police contacted secondary schools after several summer incidents, some causing serious injuries, stating they did not intend to criminalize curious young people but to prevent injury or criminal justice involvement.
• Bradley Garrett, an academic at the University of Sydney who has studied urban exploration and written several books, told the BBC he has noticed an increase in teenage explorers taking unnecessary risks to become influencers and make money.
• Garrett said most urban explorers he met a decade ago were in their 20s or 30s with a deep interest in history or architecture, but younger explorers are increasingly motivated by online attention.
• Garrett described urbex as a moonshot for many young kids who believe garnering likes can lead to influencer status and a career, and noted many child explorers lack basic safety knowledge.