New York launching campaign to stop subway surfing ahead of back-to-school: "These are our children"
NEW YORK -- The focus of a series of new subway ads made by teenagers for teenagers is "Ride Inside, Stay Alive," targeting a growing problem among the city's youth -- subway surfing.
On the 7 line, where subway surfing is the most prevalent in the system, young voices are reaching out to their peers – urging them to ride inside.
"It was like an instantaneous decision because when lives are at stake, you don't really think about if you should do it, it's kind of like an instant yes, we should solve this problem," said Milana Blokhina, a High School of Art and Design student.
Milana is one of the many students who worked on a new campaign launched by the MTA Tuesday, combatting a dangerous trend that's already killed five teenagers this year.
Officials say all the videos, graphics and animations seen on posters and banners were created by students – for good reason.
"This must be communicated from the ground up because if there is one thing I learned when I was young, when my parents said no, I did yes," Mayor Eric Adams said.
The "Subway Surfing Kills" initiative will also be on MetroCards and digital signage in stations and at schools. The kickoff coincides with back-to-school, when incidents typically swell.
"They need to see the consequences. A lot of kids have died," one student said.
"I'll definitely have a talk with my little brother because he's around that age so I worry," another student said.
The city is also fighting the problem on a social media front by pressuring companies like TikTok and Meta to remove over 3,000 subway surfing posts so far.
"Young people are being subjected to massive doses of video and material that is glorifying this," MTA CEO Janno Lieber said.
"We need to be clear on this. These are our children, and we need to protect them in any way possible. These are young New Yorkers with promising futures that are tragically cut short because of just a prank, just a prank," Adams said.
So far this year, the MTA has documented over 450 instances of people riding outside trains.
The idea is the new ads will help with prevention instead of just intervention.