The mother of a 13-year-old boy who was brutally attacked is calling for harsher punishments for offenders who are “assaulting kids as a sport”.

Multiple reports of young teens being violently assaulted and robbed in unprovoked Auckland attacks have hit headlines this year, from McDonald’s bashings to bloody train station robberies.

An informal poll of Herald readers found an overwhelming 97% regard Auckland’s central city as an uninviting place full of antisocial behaviour.

Registered child psychologist Sara Chatwin told the Herald she thinks the way to approach this issue is not about assigning fault or blame to teenagers.

“There is not one clear pathway to rectify this situation ... there’s a multiplicity of pathways that need to be optioned so that we get some calm in the chaos,” Chatwin said.

Why do children commit these attacks?

Chatwin said the factors that motivated teenagers to commit violent crimes were multifaceted and should be addressed to combat the issue.

Some of the factors included abuse, a history of violence, family circumstances and involvement with drugs and alcohol.

She said frequent truancy and the challenges faced by children with learning disorders, who are often not adequately supported by the education system, can also contribute to the willingness of these kids to act aggressively.

Chatwin said another factor for young people related to how they dealt with personal problems.

“It may be at home. It may be that they feel the educational system is failing them, perhaps they have anger and aggression that manifests in this way.”

She said parents of offenders might “not be parenting effectively”, particularly when it came to enforcing rules, maintaining routines and teaching manners.

Psychologist Sara Chatwin says the factors that motivate teenagers to commit violent crimes are multifaceted. Photo / Supplied

Social media and the group mentality

Chatwin said in the age of social media, videos of these attacks continued to revictimise young people who were attacked, but also had the potential to motivate offenders.

“We are seeing these assaults all over the place. We are seeing them posted to social media where people look and laugh and then try to simulate these horrifying acts. This is hugely desensitising for the perpetrator,” she said.

Chatwin said teenagers tended to move away from parental influence and towards their peer group and when they adopted a group or pack mentality, it could become a significant driving force behind these attacks.

“The group gives them courage.

“Group inclusion can promote conformity and for many it means that certain behaviours are viewed as being ”okay” if a group of enough people say so.

“And it also means that if there’s a negative implication for this kind of behaviour, you are not alone in taking the punishment or they can all stick up for each other and figure things out.

“This is a growing problem,” she said.

‘They were doing nothing wrong’ 

A Howick-based mother of a 13-year-old boy told the Herald a group of young teens allegedly kicked him, dragged him across the carpet and left wearing his shoes after forcibly removing them from his feet at a movie theatre last year.

She said her teenage son was attacked at the Botany Town Centre Hoyts and now, 18 months on, the impacts are everlasting.

The mother said Saturday, April 6, 2024, was one of the first times her son went to the mall without a parent, with a group of friends, when the attack took place.

He was waiting to watch the Minions movie with his friends when he was suddenly approached.

“They [group of offenders] came in, demanded his shoes and then he said no, and then they punched him in the face,” she said.

She said her son tried to run and then one of the attackers’ ankles tapped him.

“He fell down and then they dragged him across the carpet and were kicking him in the back and the neck.

“He got carpet burns on his legs and then they were like kicking him, and then they pulled the shoes off his body,” she said.

The mother said no nearby adults came to help her son.

Police told the Herald they located the group of offenders a short time later in Beachlands and they were taken into custody.

At the time, a 15, 14 and 11-year-old were referred to Youth Aid, police said.

The mother said the group of offenders allegedly fled and committed another assault and theft only days later.

Nightmares and blood noses

The mother said the attack left her son extremely shaken and bruised.

“He’s only just started going back out now with his friends.

“He had to have counselling and he had nightmares and ongoing blood noses, and he had to see the youth worker at the school because it kind of triggered anxiety about going out in public.

“They were doing nothing wrong,” she said.

The shoes that were stolen were $200 Nike ones that he really wanted for Christmas.

She said they were able to get the shoes back, but he wouldn’t wear them because they reminded him of the attack.

An Auckland mum is calling for harsher punishments for offenders who are “assaulting kids as a sport”. Photo / 123rf

“I think it’s happening a lot more than people realise. And that’s just from talking anecdotally to other parents.

“Some of these injuries are really vicious, like teeth, black eyes, broken noses.

“Government and police need to step up and sort this out before an innocent life gets taken with a king hit,” the mother said.