Child aggression in Czech schools is rising: how the state responds

Aggression and crime among children and teenagers are on the rise in Czechia, and it is most noticeable in schools. This is stated in a report by the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office, and according to internal police data, more than 900 incidents involving minors took place in schools in the first half of the year.

The topic was the subject of an episode of the 5:59 news podcast. The journalist who prepared a magazine feature on the issue admits she was surprised by what is going on in schools. She does not want to go into details: among young offenders there is often a motive of imitating, or even admiring, other people's violent acts.

The trend began before the tragedy at the faculty

According to the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office annual report for 2025, the number of cases linked to aggression, lack of self-control and impulsiveness among children is growing, including so-called “thrill” violence committed for the sensation. Sexual violence between children is also becoming more visible.

Police officers from the radicalization unit, created partly after the shooting at Charles University's Faculty of Arts in December 2023, said that after the tragedy some tried to copy the shooter's act. But the wave had started earlier. Practitioners told the journalist that the process had been quietly under way since 2015: videos of fights between children and other aggressive stunts were gaining views online.

Where child aggression comes from

There are many causes, and every case is individual, specialists stress. Aggression does not necessarily arise in troubled families: strained relationships, emotional bonds or communication problems can also be to blame. Violent content adds to it, as do online communities, including the “manosphere” and right-wing radicalism.

Experts also say “Hitlerism” is gaining ground among children: raised-arm salutes, trivializing and mocking the Holocaust, admiration for Nazi symbols. Children pick up chauvinist and racist ideas from various bloggers and spread them on social media.

What the Education Ministry proposes

The Ministry of Education is considering several ways to respond. The main goal is to ensure every child gets an education while protecting teachers and other pupils. The most extreme measure is the temporary exclusion of an aggressive pupil from school. It also plans to strengthen support from child social-protection authorities and mobile mental-health teams.

Stronger parental responsibility is also under discussion: in extreme cases, a child's aggressive behavior at school could be treated as neglect of parental duties. Exactly what the changes will look like will become clear once the ministry prepares a bill.

The journalist also encountered criticism from within the professional community: a joint response is hampered by the fact that the problem involves several agencies at once. There are not enough places in diagnostic facilities, and schools sometimes fail to cope with the behavior of individual pupils for years. “I feel that every institution speaks its own language and they don't understand each other. Everyone does what they can, but the system is not connected,” she says.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz