Reports of child abuse and bullying in schools have dominated the media in recent years. However, a study published in JAMA Pediatrics this week has determined that things have actually gotten much better for children since 2003.

When comparing 50 types of violent crimes committed against children, researchers found that 27 of these types had significantly declined in occurrence from 2003 to 2011. They also discovered that this trend continued despite the economic downturn. The latter finding was especially surprising as the pressures of economic hardship tend to drive the rate of violent acts up.

The increased safety among American youth even extended into low income areas that are often associated with high crime rates. These improvements were also present regardless of ethnicity.

Violent crimes against children are following a trend similar to other violent crimes in their decline. Experts have seen steady reductions in crime since the 1990’s. There are no clear reasons why this decline has occurred, but there are several theories.

Some theorize that public outreach programs have been effective in their goals to educate others and prevent violent crimes. Another theory centers around the increasing availability of pharmaceutical drugs aimed at treating conditions that can produce aggressive behavior. A third theory centers around the prevalence of social media in American culture. Even though there is an increased risk for exposure to online bullying, there is also a decrease in time a child can be bored. Boredom is often attributed to increased crime rates among youth.

Even with the promising reduction in violence against children, experts caution that much work is left to be done. America is still more violent than many other developed countries and has the highest rate of incarceration for its population. But having a long way to go should not detract from the progress made, researchers say. It is even speculated that future generations will view this time period as one of significant progress, even though media coverage trends tend to make contemporaries feel the problem is worsening instead of improving.