[1] Although sometimes officially accused of apostasy or disobedience,[2][3] it is thought that they are mainly pressured to leave by older adult men to reduce competition for wives within such sects,[2][3][4] usually when they are between the ages of 13 and 21.
[12][13] With little education or skills applicable to life outside of their community of birth, they must learn to live in a society they inherently distrust yet know little about and as a result, some lost boys become homeless or end up in the criminal justice system.
As early as 1968, the church's home turf of Colorado City, Arizona, had a peace officer whose responsibility was "to make sure that the boys would not associate with the girls.
"[4] This officer's main police duties evolved over the next two decades to include "running the surplus boys out of town" to allow the "worthy" men of the community to live plural marriage by adding new, younger wives.
[16] In the HBO television series Big Love (2006–2011), the main protagonist is a former lost boy, having grown up challenging the elder who drove him out of their community as a teenager.