I think that while their are definitely issues with co-ed activities, it is first-of-all turned into way more of an issue then it really is, and that instead of just saying assur, it needs to be addressed publicly to 7th and 8th graders. by the time you are in high school, it is already too late.
while co-ed activites are not inherently evil (i know plenty of guys/girls who are good friends and are shomer etc.), unless it is monitered, the risks are large. That being said, however, people going around snapping pictures of teens hanging out together are simply driving them into greater secrecy, thereby indirectly encouraging them to hang out at places which are less desirable.
To the average teenager, judaism is filled with so many restrictions, and the ability to question and discuss is so severely limited, that co-ed activities becomes not just a regular social gathering, but rather a form of rebellion (just like non-jewish music, movies, and playing pool). I am not sure how to solve it, but i definetly think it needs to be adressed in a manner different from the way it is being talked about at this time
what do you guys think (i’m a teenager by the way)