@DY “Kids don’t go OTD from frumkeit.” This is a hopelessly naive statement. Deal with otd kids in lakewood and you will be singing a very different tune. Kids do go otd due to absolutism. There was an article in mishpacha magazine a while back which quoted a psychologist who said that lakewood has the highest percentage of kids who go otd. While I don’t think that mishpacha is a particularly reliable source for this type of information, lakewood definitely has a huge problem.
I also agree with josh31 about the disturbing trend of yeshiva high schools and even elementary schools who think that it is ok to just throw kids out of yeshivas with absolutely no achrayus for what becomes of them. Ditto with the kids not getting accepted to schools. This is not something which comes from a torah ideology.
I do agree that something should be done about the hanging out situation but issuing a mass letter is silly and will be subject to much ridicule. Each yeshiva should be responsible for enforcing its own policy. Additionally, expecting that teens wont find some way to circumvent you is also hopelessly naive – so instead of hanging out in pizza shops they will hang out in 7/11 and dunkin donuts. The goal is to ensure that the ones who want to do the right thing have the proper environment through which to do so, not to prevent the ones who dont as that will always be a losing battle. I also do believe that there is a major chesaron in chinuch in this regard and that both parents and yeshivas could do a lot more than they are presently doing. Vhamaivin Yavin.