“Ring Spike”. “Call-on-and-run-off”. “Ding-dong stab”. “Call and run”. Dear child has many names. But is it innocent pranks, or serious harassment? Do children and young people really know what they risk when they ring a stranger’s door? There are several answers to those questions. Can go wrong Individual incidents in recent years suggest that the activity is associated with a certain risk, if the aim is to seriously harass the home owner. Sometimes it goes really badly, of which there are several recent examples. In Bergen, things went seriously wrong just over a week ago. A 15-year-old was badly injured after an adult man allegedly attacked him with an axe. The boy and his friends called the house owner repeatedly, late at night. In Kristiansund, a man was arrested by the police in April this year, after he chased children who had rang his doorbell. The person allegedly threatened with a hammer, and also took the children’s bicycles and bags. In 2020, Romerikes Blad could tell the story of two men and a woman who were sentenced to various prison sentences, after they allegedly held several young people and inflicted violence on them in Nannestad. The triggering factor was precisely “ring spike”. On Tuesday this week, the police had to move out to calm the mood at Gulset in Skien, after a verbal confrontation. A homeowner had scolded some youngsters so forcefully that their parents intervened, believing the man was going too far. In the comments section under the latter case on Facebook, people are arguing so busta fyker. Some believe that children and young people must be allowed to engage in a bit of mischief, and that it is, after all, better than sitting behind a screen. Still others believe it is unacceptable, and a breach of privacy. Photo: Screen dump from Facebook / news – Gøyere if you get a reaction At Byskogen school in Tønsberg, tantrums are a well-known phenomenon. – It’s more fun if you get a reaction. It gives a bit of adrenaline, says eighth-grader Sigmund Ulshagen. Sigmund Ulshagen, Sander Hansen Falkeng and Una Hotvedt Kjærra have all been involved in some pranks. Photo: Ane-Sophie Drouet / news He himself has experienced being chased, but has never been really scared, he says. Classmate Sander Hansen Falkeng says it was more common when they were in seventh grade. – Then we did it almost every day for a while. There was a guy who used to click. He chased us around with a hammer, he remembers. – Why did you do that? – It kind of gives a funny feeling, to do something you’re not really allowed to do. Una Hotvedt Kjærra finds that older people often get the angriest. – Sometimes they click a bit, then. Halloween is fast approaching, and the youngsters are ready to go “trick or treating”. Halloween is just around the corner. Photo: Ram Yoga They think it must be okay to give a small reaction when you don’t get candy, but one point crosses the line. – Throwing eggs or damaging people’s property is not okay, says Falkeng. Should adults put up with children and young people engaging in mischief? Yes No It completely depends on the type of ramp! Show result – Healthy in a time where the game is under pressure Ragnhild Røe Norderhus is a university lecturer at NTNU. Together with several research colleagues, she has, among other things, carried out a generational study of play in childhood, where they have interviewed people in their 70s, 50s and 20s. The theme of the last article they wrote on the subject was rough play, and an element of this is precisely rampages. Ragnhild Røe Norderhus, university lecturer at NTNU, has researched play in childhood. Photo: Private – It’s all about the search for excitement and fun. Challenging boundaries in relation to adults and perhaps other children. It also provides unity among those who take part in the game, she says. She believes that tantrums belong in a child’s upbringing. – I think it is very healthy at a time when the game is under pressure. There are many organized activities for children today, which to a greater extent make play more institutionalized. Then it is healthy that they have the opportunity to continue with free play which can also be a prank, says Norderhus. She adds that there are of course limits to how far it is okay to go on a rampage, when you look at the cases where things have gone completely wrong. – Of course, but I think these are the exceptions. Those we interviewed said that it was extra exciting if the people you called got angry and reacted. One piece of advice is perhaps to ignore it, then it usually passes quickly, she believes. – Not good Tor Ragnar Steffensen is unit leader at the preventive department in the South-East police district. Tor Ragnar Steffensen, section leader for the preventive unit, the police in Grenland. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news He encourages parents to use common sense in the dialogue with the children about mischief. He has little left for “Ringpigg”. – There are a number of elderly and sick people who have challenges with this. Calling random people is not good. A number of unfortunate misunderstandings can arise, he believes.
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Ramps can result in dangerous situations – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
