Being safe as a young adult is a constant concern of teens. Sometimes it is hard to be confident when your hanging out by yourself or with your friends in public places. Adam Knitel said that, “My biggest concern is being attacked on the street when I am just walking or hanging out with friends and being robbed of my belongings” and Maggie Posey said that, “I could be kidnapped and won’t be able to fight back.”

Did you know that legally, anyone under 18 can not be in possession of any self defense tools without direct parent consent? This is difficult because if someone had abusive parents then they would not be able to be in possession of theses defense tools because most likely their parents would not consent.

So how do we responsibly protect ourselves when we are out? If you are not in a position to have things like pepper spay, there are other things you can have to protect yourself. Although some people say that they carry knives and guns, it is illegal to possess these weapons under 18. Vivian Ashton says that she carries, “a birdie (an alarm that sounds if I pull the ring out of it.)” Arwyn Winkle-Ducote says that she, “knows the martial arts Krav Maga.” other things you can do to protect yourself includes carrying your keys in a fist(as shown in the picture). if you fell uncomfortable, make yourself herd, let other people around you know that something wrong is happening.