Predatory Behavior Among/Against Teens is More Common Than I Thought, I've Realized as I've Gotten Out More

I'm 19M currently, back when I was 13-15 I thought predatory behavior, such as pedophilia or intoxication-SA was extremely rare due to the amount of backlash against it on social media. Even at 17, I generally believed that type of behavior was ubiquitously condemned to the degree that anyone who behaved in such a way publicly would immediately be shut down.

When I was a minor, I stayed in my room during most of my free time and socially isolated. But when I was 18, I made friends with a girl who was 16 and we began hanging out. I met some of her friends and was, to some extent, introduced into her social circle. The amount of things we both witnessed while we hung out were downright insane. Here are some examples:

Once, I was with my aforementioned female friend, who was also with her younger sister, 14, at the time, as well as another 18-year-old male friend, when a young, athletic but disheveled-looking man approached one of us and began conversing. He admitted he was 22 and asked the group if we wanted to go to his place and drink. The 14-year-old girl seemed interested in the idea at first. I immediately pulled my 16yo friend aside and explained how dangerous I thought this could be. Luckily, they declined the man's offer.

During a separate incident, when I was hanging out with this same female friend and some of her other friends, they claimed a girl they knew, when she was 10, was coerced into performing an s.x act on a 15-year-old female. They actually condemned the 10-year-old and claimed she was partially responsible. I pushed back against their condemnation, to no avail. I didn't see them much more after that.

The last time I ever hung around this group before reaching the last straw and cutting them off, the same 18-year-old male from the first story was dating a 15yo female. I never saw either of them again after that.

To conclude all of this, I've been slowly awakened to how common these predatory behaviors are. And one more thing, I just *know* that people are going to accuse me of being part of the problem because I was even around these people in the first place. I was even called a pedophile earlier for having had a platonic friendship with someone who was 15. But the truth is, I believe in protecting minors from the forces that endanger them, and I should be allowed to speak out about my concerns.