Worried councillors say their children are too scared to go out in Walsall due to fears of getting stabbed.
Members of Walsall Council's children's services overview and scrutiny committee meeting discussed the "emerging issue" of knife crime and criminal exploitation at a meeting on Monday night (January 28).
Officers said there were a number of reasons why young people were arming themselves including the influence of violent "drill music", peer pressure and a perception that they need to protect themselves.
Members were also told that a lot of work was going on in the borough, such as the Youth of Walsall's 'Real Knives, Real Lives' awareness campaign, as well as projects aimed at early intervention and education.
Superintendent Sue Parker, from Walsall Police, also said a knife bin was going to be placed outside Tesco in the town centre this week to encourage people to give up their weapons.
Councillor Tina Jukes said: "I'm a mum and my children are petrified to go out because of knives. Do we find music is a lot to blame because what children are watching these days is really bad."
Phil Rutherford, strategic lead for youth justice services in Walsall, who co-authored a report into knife crime in the town, said: "The link is there with drill music.
"But music is a passion for young people and we need to be better at grabbing that and utilising it in a more positive way."
Councillor Vera Walters added: "Recently, in Wolverhampton, there was an incident where two 15-year-olds stabbed a 22-year-old at 4am in the morning.
"As a parent, I want to know where my teenager is. Perhaps we need to target parents with a 'do you know where your child is?' campaign."
The committee was also given a presentation from Zara Khan, chair of Youth in Walsall, who have been working with young people to change perceptions.
They worked with Fixers UK to create an emotional short film about the devastation and loss felt by a parent losing their child through knife crime.
The film is available on YouTube and has won praise and was highlighted in parliament by Walsall North MP Eddie Hughes.
Youth of Walsall have also held knife awareness workshops as well as art competitions in schools.
Miss Khan added that 1,060 voted for "put an end to knife crime" as their top issue in the UK-wide youth consultation Make Your Mark 2018. She said reducing knife crime and discouraging perpetrators were among their main aims.
Committee chairman Aftab Nawaz said members would work more closely with schools to ensure a level of transparency and heightened awareness of issues.
