As the BBC reports that plans to increase youth minimum wage could be delayed, new family court data reveals a staggering surge in cases where parents are being held legally responsible for their children's behaviour.

Parental responsibility orders — legal interventions where courts compel parents to take control of wayward children — jumped from just 5 cases in 2022 to 553 in 2023. That's an increase of nearly 11,000%.

The timing creates an uncomfortable contrast. Young people face continued low wages that make independence harder to achieve, while family courts are increasingly stepping in to force parental accountability for children who haven't left home.

These aren't minor family disputes. Parental responsibility orders are serious legal tools, typically used when children commit crimes or truant repeatedly. Courts essentially tell parents: get your house in order, or face the consequences. The explosion in cases suggests something fundamental is breaking down in British family life.

The numbers tell a story about economic pressure meeting social fracture. Young workers earning below-adult wages — currently £6.40 per hour for 18-20 year-olds versus £11.44 for adults — often remain financially dependent on families longer. When those family relationships crack under strain, the state steps in.

Consider what 553 orders means in practice. Each represents a family where things got so bad that a judge had to intervene. Each costs the courts time and money — resources that could have been spent elsewhere if families weren't under such pressure.

The delay in youth wage increases, justified by concerns about employment levels, might actually be storing up bigger problems. When young people can't afford to move out, can't build independence, and remain stuck in difficult family situations, the social costs compound.

This isn't just about wages — it's about the cascade effect of policy decisions. Keep youth wages low to protect jobs, but then deal with the family breakdown that follows when financial stress meets generational tension under the same roof.

The 10,960% increase in parental responsibility orders didn't happen in a vacuum. It happened during a cost-of-living crisis where families are squeezed from every angle, and where young people's economic prospects have been deliberately constrained by policy choices.

Ministers worried about the economic impact of higher youth wages might want to consider the social impact of keeping them low. Because when families break down, the state picks up the bill anyway — just in family courts rather than job centres. (Source: Ministry of Justice, Family Court Statistics -- Family_Court_Tables__Jul-Sep_2024_ -- Table_3)