Opinion
November 10, 2026 — 9:21am
Footage of a 13-year-old boy being set upon by a group of teenagers in Ellenbrook last weekend makes for confronting viewing, but as a mother living in Perth’s east that was not my first thought.
Instead, my initial reaction was far darker: I wasn’t at all surprised.
I’ve experienced first-hand the escalating teenage violence that plagues the streets – and so has my 16-year-old son.
In the space of a few months earlier this year, he was robbed on a public bus at knifepoint, had his brand new electric bike stolen, and had a gold chain he was wearing violently ripped from his neck as he walked through Midland Gate Shopping Centre.
He’s a quiet, unassuming, non-confrontational boy who stands at what should be an intimidating 6 feet 2. Instead, he’s apparently a sitting duck.
And at a time when he should now be spreading his wings and experiencing independence, he now relies on me for lifts, is too scared to shop alone, and would never entertain the idea of going out after dark.
The bus incident was sickening. He was riding a Transperth bus home from school and had bought a bag of chips and a drink that were sat on his lap.
Two boys came up behind him and put a knife to his throat and told him: “Hand over your snacks.”
He did, of course, and said nothing. He didn’t dare move until he got off the bus and got home and called me.
I rang the police straight away. They were fantastic and responded with sincere concern, wanting to investigate further and take a statement from my son, but he was too scared to speak up.
He thought they’d find out and hunt him down, and he still had to live in the same area, catch the same bus and go to the same school. The police reluctantly closed the case, telling me their hands were tied.
That incident took place just weeks after his bike was stolen and a few months after he’d been walking through the shopping centre and had his chain ripped off his neck. The area was crowded with shoppers, he’d said. No one stopped to help.
Violence, abuse and theft is so common where we live, I wonder if everyone is becoming desensitised. Or maybe the adults are as scared of the kids as their peers are?
I don’t have enough fingers to count how many fights I’ve seen that were filmed involving both teenage girls and boys.
A woman was recently asking online about any footage involving a group of girls that set upon her daughter as she walked through a Midland park in broad daylight.
Apparently, one of the perpetrators thought she’d looked at them funny and launched into an unprovoked attack that left her injured and terrified.
It’s a tough time to be a kid. They have to think twice about where they go, what they’re wearing and who they’re going with.
Ideally, you keep your head down and don’t have anything in your possession that is a possible target for would-be thieves. That, or stay home and stare at a screen instead.
My son’s range of expensive trainers he’s saved for with money he earns at a part-time job rarely see the light of day because of this.
He refuses to wear them outside the house unless he knows he’s going to be with an adult and not going on public transport or to a shopping centre. How sad is that?
He’s not alone. Most of his friends could recount a story about being robbed, assaulted or abused. It’s so common that when a story is shared, everyone just shrugs and says, “me too”.
And while it’s good news the six teenagers alleged to have taken part in the assault of the 13-year-old Ellenbrook boy have been arrested, charged, and denied bail, the cynic in me wonders about all the other kids who have experienced the same.
Were their perpetrators arrested? Or was the police and magistrate response in this case so significant because – quite rightly – there was such public outcry?
Justice shouldn’t depend on whether an assault is uploaded to TikTok or sparked enough anger within a community.
The people of Ellenbrook, Midland and the wider suburbs where I live are suffering with increasing youth crime every single day.
Our teenagers shouldn’t have to live in fear of catching a bus or going to the shops, and until we treat every youth crime incident as a major issue that needs preventative measures, it will only get worse.
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Source: The Age · Rebecca Peppiatt
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