A ‘coordinated’ plan: Three Texas teen girls arrested for assault after mom turns off WiFi

Three teenage sisters in Houston, TX, were arrested recently and charged with assault after attacking their mother with knives and a brick and knocking over their grandma when she tried to help. Local authorities call the attack a “coordinated” plan and say it all started when their mom turned the WiFi off.

According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, the alarming true crime incident happened on Sunday, March 23 in Houston when officers responded to reports of a disturbance at a home in the Houston area. Once they arrived, police found an adult woman who had been assaulted by her three teenage daughters, ages 14,15,16.

Gonzalez says the teenagers used kitchen knives and chased their mother through the house trying to stab her after their mother turned the WiFi off. The girls are also accused of striking their mother with a brick in the head and pushing their grandma over when she tried to intervene. None of the adult women were seriously injured in the attack.

Screen can be linked to violence in teens, studies show

**BREAKING NEWS** “Because the mother turned off the Wi-Fi, all three grabbed kitchen knives and chased her throughout the house and into the street, attempting to stab her,” Harris Co. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a post on X. https://t.co/Q130DncuKg

— KPRC 2 Houston (@KPRC2) March 24, 2025

Details of the Houston attack are consistent with scientific findings that excessive exposure to violent content can lead to aggressive behaviors in teenagers, especially boys, making the recent Houston case, if it was motived when the WiFi was turned off, somewhat unique.

Linda Pagani, professor at the Université de Montreal’s School of Psychoeducation, whose team studied the long-term effects of violent content on children, told Newsweek in January this year, “Our study provides compelling evidence that early childhood exposure to media violence can have serious, long-lasting consequences.”

Social media response to Sheriff Gonzalez’s post supported these findings with comments like, “This should be sparking up a conversation about the negative effects of extended screen time when they’re toddlers-grade school age?”

Another comment indicated the widespread issues of excessive screen time for children. “This reminds me of when teachers go to take a phone from a student in a school because they won’t put it up,” one comment mentioned.

It added, “This is a huge problem with youth today. They are so reliant on that screen for all of their interactions and when you take that away it is like taking drugs from a drug addict. They lose their minds.”

According to the Houston family’s neighbors, the home where the alleged WiFi-motivated attack was known to be chaotic, which likely didn’t help the situation. A neighbor told Fox26 Houston, “They’re known for that in this neighborhood.”

The neighbor added, “There’s always cops around that house. I think that’s so crazy. I mean it just tells how unstable that family is, and it’s very sad for them.”

No names have so far been released in the case, but Sheriff Gonzalez says the three teenage girls were booked at the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center on aggravated assault with deadly weapon charges. It’s not immediately clear if they’re still in custody, whether the teens have legal representation, or when they’re expected to appear in court.