According to Statistics Norway (SSB), 10.3 per cent of all young people between 15 and 20 years in Norway were charged with offenses in 2002. In 2011, the percentage dropped to 7.8 percent with a decrease of 25 percent.

– One important reason for this trend is that almost all young people have got mobile phone and access to computer. Computer games and opportunities to socialize online allow them to spend much more time at home, said lead researcher Anders Bakken from Norwegian Social Research Institute – NOVA in an interview with Vårtland.

He points out that the foremost condition of conducting crime is that they go out and come in contact with deprived communities. Young people play at home instead of going out on streets, says the NOVA reseracher.

Youth crimes were previously often committed in sheer boredom, he adds, pointing out that young people today have a better relationship with both parents and schools.

Bakken also points out police prevention as a contributing factor to the decline in youth crime. Directorate of Police Section Manager Morten Hojem Ervik thikns decline in youth crime is related to the overall prosperity in Norway, but he also believes that video games may have saved young people from crime.