These are not very young kids. They are teenagers, old enough to have developed some empathy. It is late in the game for them, but if they don’t develop some humanity, they are headed for sad times as it one day will be their turn to grow old and suffer.
The human brain has fully developed by age 25. It’s why I think the voting age and drinking age should be 25. But I definitely remember how I looked at animals in my late teens. I didn’t torture them, but it was mostly because I had better things to do. The guys that would throw them off the bridge in Black Diamond were at least old enough to drive. And it was a pretty common thing.
I also think it’s a boys vs girls thing. I’d be really concerned about a girl that did that stuff.