Youth Safety, Peer Pressure & Positive Choices

Most young people do not become involved in serious violence or harmful activity. Prevention works best when families, schools and communities respond early to real concerns and strengthen the relationships, opportunities and supports that help young people stay connected and safe.

No single behaviour predicts future harmful or illegal activity. Prevention should never be based on a young person’s race, culture, clothing, music, neighbourhood, friendships or family income. Protective factors can help, but they are not guarantees.

Protective factors can include:

• strong relationships with parents, caregivers and other trusted adults;
• connection to school, learning and realistic education goals;
• positive peer relationships and safe places to spend time;
• recreation, arts, mentoring, volunteering, employment and skills-building opportunities;
• support when bullying, victimization, trauma, conflict or mental-health concerns arise;
• opportunities to build decision-making, problem-solving and coping skills; and
• early help when a young person is experiencing intimidation, coercion, controlling pressure or exploitation.

These supports do not guarantee that every problem will be avoided. They can reduce isolation, create safer choices and make it easier to respond before a concern becomes a crisis.

Prevention is not the same as treating a young person like a suspect. The goal is to stay connected, notice real changes and make it easier for the young person to ask for help. Do not use secret surveillance. Do not confront people who may be dangerous.

• Keep regular, non-accusatory communication about school, friends, online activity, safety and plans.
• Know the young person’s routines, school connections and trusted adults without relying on secret surveillance.
• Ask about fear, threats, debts, sudden pressure for money, unusual requests to carry, store or deliver items, or pressure to prove loyalty.
• Respond early to repeated school disengagement, conflict, victimization or sudden withdrawal from positive activities.
• Help connect the young person with safe recreation, mentoring, employment-readiness, leadership or skills programs that fit their interests.
• Take threats, controlling pressure and fear of what may happen if the young person says no seriously. Seek qualified advice rather than confronting people who may be dangerous.
• Call 911 when there is immediate danger, serious violence or an immediate threat of serious harm.

Families can ask for prevention information and community support even when they are unsure exactly what is happening.

You can ask for help before a situation becomes an emergency. You do not have to wait until someone is hurt.

Consider speaking with a trusted adult or established service if:

• someone is pressuring you to carry, hold, hide, store or transport money, packages, dangerous items, illegal goods or things you do not understand;
• someone is threatening you, your friends or your family;
• you are being told that you owe money, a favour or a task and you are afraid of what will happen if you refuse;
• an older youth or adult is controlling where you go, who you see, what you do or what you must carry;
• you are being pressured through social media, group chats or private messages to prove loyalty, threaten someone, share information or take part in something unsafe;
• you are afraid of what may happen if you stop spending time with certain people;
• you have been assaulted, robbed, threatened, exploited or pressured into harmful or illegal activity;
• you want to step away from an unsafe group or situation but do not know how to do it safely; or
• you are worried that someone you care about is in danger.

You do not need to label yourself or explain everything at once before asking for support. Describe what is happening and what you are afraid might happen. A trusted adult or established service can help you identify a safer next step.

Parents and caregivers sometimes notice that something has changed before they know why. Possible concerns can include:

• sudden fear of particular people, places or routes;
• unexplained injuries or repeated concerns about being followed, threatened or confronted;
• major changes in school attendance, behaviour or participation;
• unusual fear connected with messages, calls or social-media activity;
• unexplained money, expensive items, debts or pressure to repay someone;
• older youth or adults appearing to exercise unusual control over the young person;
• requests to carry, store or transport items for someone else;
• withdrawal from family, school, recreation or trusted relationships; or
• statements showing fear about saying no, asking for help or stepping away from a peer group.

No single sign proves that a young person is involved in harmful activity. Many changes can have other explanations, including stress, bullying, mental-health concerns, conflict, victimization or ordinary changes during adolescence.

Choose a calm and private time when possible. Start with what you have noticed rather than a label or accusation. Listen before deciding what should happen next.

• Ask open questions: “Is something happening that is making you feel unsafe?”
• Focus on safety: “I want to help you stay safe. You are not in trouble for telling me what is happening.”
• Avoid shame, threats, panic or demands for an immediate confession.
• Do not pressure the young person to identify dangerous people if doing so could increase risk.
• Ask what the young person is most worried about and what kind of support would feel safe.
• If there is immediate danger, stop the conversation and call 911.

A parent or caregiver can begin with:

“I’ve noticed that you seem worried and that you have been avoiding places you used to go. I’m not here to accuse you. I want to understand what is happening and help you stay safe.”

A young person can begin with:

“I’m dealing with pressure or threats and I need help figuring out a safe next step.”

Some unsafe situations begin with friendship, attention, money, gifts, protection, status or a sense of belonging. Pressure may start with small requests and become more serious over time. It can become exploitation when another person uses fear, control, threats, dependency or manipulation to make a young person do something they do not want to do.

A young person may be pressured to carry or hide items, transport money or illegal goods, collect money, intimidate someone, share information, watch for other people, involve another person or take responsibility for something an older person directed them to do.

A young person can be both involved in harmful activity and experiencing victimization or exploitation. The goal should be safety, accountability where appropriate, and access to qualified support — not humiliation or stereotyping.

Threats, intimidation and exploitation can also happen through social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms and group chats.

If a young person receives threatening or coercive messages:

• do not respond with threats or public confrontation;
• show the messages to a trusted adult or appropriate service if it is safe to do so;
• avoid publicly announcing plans to confront or distance yourself from people you fear;
• use the platform’s safety and reporting tools where appropriate; and
• call 911 if the messages indicate an immediate threat of serious violence or immediate danger.

Parents should avoid turning the situation into a secret investigation that could expose the young person or family to additional risk. Focus first on safety and qualified support.

A disagreement can become much more dangerous when threats are posted online, friends are drawn into the conflict or people go looking for one another. Prevention means reducing the chance that a conflict turns into serious harm.

• Do not answer threats with threats or encourage a young person to “prove” themselves.
• Do not gather friends to confront another person or group.
• Avoid public online challenges, threats, location-sharing or posts that could intensify the conflict.
• Encourage the young person to move away from a confrontation and contact a trusted adult or appropriate service.
• If there is immediate danger, serious violence or an immediate threat of serious harm, call 911.

When the danger is not immediate, Victim Services Toronto, 211 and appropriate youth and community services can help a young person or family think through safer next steps.

A young person may be afraid to ask for help because they worry about what may happen if they say no, distance themselves from certain people, tell someone what is happening or ask for support.

If danger is immediate, call 911. If the danger is not immediate, a young person or family can ask for confidential information about options before deciding what to do next.

Victim Services Toronto supports people affected by crime and sudden tragedy. A person does not have to make a police report before asking Victim Services Toronto for support. 24-hour crisis line: 416-808-7066.

For a non-urgent police matter or police information in Toronto, call 416-808-2222 or *TPS (*877) from a mobile phone.

Stepping away from an unsafe friendship, group or situation can be complicated, especially when there are threats, debts, control, exploitation or fear about what may happen next. There is no single safe approach for every situation.

Do not assume that a dramatic confrontation, public announcement or sudden meeting with dangerous people is safe. Start by identifying the immediate risks and connecting the young person with an appropriate service that can help plan the next steps.

Useful starting points include Find Youth Services from the City of Toronto, Community Healing, and 211 Ontario.

A trusted adult at school or in the community can sometimes help address a concern before it becomes more serious. Depending on the situation, a young person may choose to speak with a teacher, guidance counsellor, principal, school safety staff member, coach, recreation worker, mentor or another trusted adult. Early support can help with school disengagement, peer conflict, bullying, victimization, pressure from unsafe peers and connection to positive programs.

Toronto school boards and the City of Toronto provide school-safety, youth, recreation and community programs. Families can also use 211 Ontario to locate services by neighbourhood and need.

• Find Youth Services — City of Toronto
• Community Healing — City of Toronto
• Youth Recreation — City of Toronto
• Building Skills Through Recreation — City of Toronto
• Toronto District School Board — Caring & Safe Schools
• Toronto Catholic District School Board — Safe Schools

Safe relationships, meaningful activities, employment opportunities and a sense of belonging are important protective factors. They can strengthen a young person’s connection to school, trusted adults, positive peers and community. No single activity can guarantee that a young person will avoid harmful situations. These opportunities can still be an important part of a broader prevention plan when they build skills, relationships, confidence and safe connections.

Fear, violence, exploitation and threats can affect a young person’s emotional wellbeing. A young person does not need to wait for a crisis before asking for support.

• Kids Help Phone: call 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868 for 24/7 support. Kids Help Phone
• Toronto Community Crisis Service: call 211 for a community-based, non-police mental-health crisis response for Toronto residents age 16 and older. For someone under 16, call 211 to find appropriate youth support. Toronto Community Crisis Service
• 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988, 24/7. Call 911 for an immediate threat to life or safety. 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline

Ontario law requires a person who has reasonable grounds to suspect that a child under 16 is or may be in need of protection to report the concern directly to a children’s aid society. Concerns about a 16- or 17-year-old may also be reported.

Not every youth-safety concern is a child-protection concern. A concern about friends, clothing, music or neighbourhood is not, by itself, a child-protection concern. The question is whether there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the child is or may be in need of protection under Ontario law.

Children’s Aid Society of Toronto has a 24-hour line at 416-924-4646. Toll-free: 1-866-527-0833.

• Ontario — Report Child Abuse and Neglect
• Children’s Aid Society of Toronto

If a child is in immediate danger, call 911. Sahan does not investigate child-protection concerns.

If a young person has been arrested, charged, has a court date or receives legal documents, the young person or family should seek independent legal advice.

Legal Aid Ontario provides youth legal services and duty counsel may be available at court. Justice for Children and Youth provides legal services to young people in Ontario within its service mandate.

• Legal Aid Ontario — Youth Legal Services — Toll-free: 1-800-668-8258 | Toronto/GTA: 416-979-1446
• Justice for Children and Youth — 416-920-1633 | Toll-free: 1-866-999-5329

Sahan can provide general legal information, help people understand publicly available information and documents, and make referrals. Sahan does not represent youth or families in criminal, family or other legal proceedings through this community program.

For plain-language information about arrest, charges and criminal court procedure, see Understanding the Criminal Justice System.

For Sahan’s general community legal-information and document-navigation services, see Legal Information, Navigation & Notary Services.

Sometimes a young person or parent notices an early warning sign, safety concern or pressure toward harmful activity but does not know where to start. Sahan can help identify prevention resources and the next appropriate service to contact.

Sahan may help youth and families:

• identify an appropriate youth, family, community, victim-support, mental-health, legal or safety service;
• understand publicly available information in plain language;
• locate youth and family programs in Toronto;
• identify or access language or interpretation assistance where available;
• make telephone calls or online inquiries to established services;
• organize, print or scan documents;
• access a computer or internet connection for service navigation;
• find recreation, mentorship, employment-readiness and prevention programs; and
• obtain referrals to qualified agencies or professionals.

Sahan does not investigate allegations, collect evidence, confront people, negotiate with dangerous individuals or take custody of dangerous items.

Sahan is not the police, a probation service, a child-protection agency, an emergency or crisis-response service, an enforcement or specialized intervention agency, a medical clinic, a counselling or psychotherapy service, a law firm, a private paralegal practice or an immigration consulting business.

If there is immediate danger, call 911.

Toronto
Sahan Community Network
1735 Kipling Avenue, Lower Level, 101, Toronto, Ontario M9R 2Y8
Telephone: +1 416-668-9156

Please do not include detailed information about threats, alleged criminal activity, victimization, medical history or a young person’s private history in this form. If there is immediate danger, call 911. A general contact form should be used only to request contact or service navigation. If sensitive information may need to be discussed, contact Sahan by telephone or in person so staff can explain Sahan’s role and the limits of the service before detailed information is shared. Sahan cannot promise secrecy where the law requires a report or where emergency action is necessary to address an immediate safety concern.

• Women & Family Support — broader family support, domestic violence resources, parenting, housing, income assistance and related family navigation.
• Understanding the Criminal Justice System — plain-language information about arrest, charges, court appearances and the criminal court process.
• Legal Information, Navigation & Notary Services — general legal information, government-document navigation and referrals.

External organizations operate independently from Sahan. Confirm current information directly with the provider. Resources last reviewed: August 23, 2026.