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Feral kids.

(148 Posts)
kircubbin2000 Wed 01-Apr-26 10:26:40

I've just been reading about a craze on Tik Tok where up to 100 kids gathered in London to damage and intimidate. I'm wondering if that inspired the Bangor attack last week where 20 teens kicked and injured a local hero and his rescue dog K9.

Cossy Wed 01-Apr-26 15:24:40

There’s a huge difference between not using violent discipline and allowing children to do what they like.

Children, if done from the get go, can be punished and penalised, with the need to ever smack/slap/beat them.

An adult striking anyone is not acceptable, especially a child.

Children require boundaries and to understand right from wrong, which should happen in the early years of their life.

However, I also understand that when kids have two parents working full time it’s often difficult to always know what and who they’re being exposed to, but it’s still the parent’s job to do their very best!

Cossy Wed 01-Apr-26 15:13:41

Allira

^What the answer is, I don't know.^

Ban mobile phones, but by the time this is done, a whole generation of these indoctrinated teenagers will gave become adults ☹

Ban mobile phones, tablets and PCs ? Tik tok is available on all these platforms and possibly on some gaming consoles.

Hold the social media companies to account, educate parents and children, use parental controls?

Not too sure what the answers are?

My DGS is 11, he’s not allowed access to social media, he starts Secondary School in September, when he’ll be permitted to have his first mobile phone. What will happen it’s anyone’s guess, however, he has a good “real life” social and leisure life, plays football for a team, attends dancing and drama, is a scout, has friends over to play, maybe that’s part of the answer, parents allowing their children far too much alone and screen time.

Oreo Wed 01-Apr-26 15:09:38

valdavi

Cossy

I attended Primary School in the sixties and Secondary School in the seventies, in Essex, there certainly were gangs.

Remember the Krays?

Apparently there was v little juvenile delinquency on the Kray's patch, or other old-timer London gangs.

They would soon sort out any teenagers who were getting "uppity". Not that it's any sort of solution to this problem, hard men knocking young lads around - just an observation.

The Krays were a London gang tho they liked to socialise in Ilford at a well known nightclub sometimes.
This new version of steaming is a SM craze.

Oreo Wed 01-Apr-26 15:06:51

This craze isn’t gang related, it’s just spreading from Tik Tok and it encourages teens to come together to cause damage.
There will be an element of shoplifting going on as well I bet.
A crowd of up to 100 can pretty much do as they like unless the police respond firmly to this.

David49 Wed 01-Apr-26 14:51:14

fancyflowers

mum2three

Now we are seeing the effects of all this liberalism. There have been riots in the past, but they were quickly controlled by riot police. Was it Boris Johnson who suggested having water cannon for just this sort of situation?
In short, they are doing it because they can. We have bred a generation of savages. If they behave like wild animals, treat them accordingly. Round them up and put them in a secure enclosure. Make the parents pay to have them released.

Agree 100%.

In many cases the parents are just as feral.

fancyflowers Wed 01-Apr-26 14:34:24

mum2three

Now we are seeing the effects of all this liberalism. There have been riots in the past, but they were quickly controlled by riot police. Was it Boris Johnson who suggested having water cannon for just this sort of situation?
In short, they are doing it because they can. We have bred a generation of savages. If they behave like wild animals, treat them accordingly. Round them up and put them in a secure enclosure. Make the parents pay to have them released.

Agree 100%.

David49 Wed 01-Apr-26 14:32:35

GrannyGravy13

David49 are you aware that current day Hells Angels (HAMC) raise millions of £’s and $’s across the world.

They run Toy Drives in the US, along with various fund raisers there, here and any country were they exist.

I do indeed, I know many locally today, a nephew is a biker, they are fine if you leave them alone, 95% are just bike enthusiasts, the hardcore 5% are head cases. Charity events and lots of criminal activities
You probably know the Angels initiation ritual and code, if you don't then you don't need to know.

ViceVersa Wed 01-Apr-26 14:20:50

Cossy

ViceVersa

There's a difference between kids simply hanging about because they have 'nothing to do', and others running riot and causing absolute mayhem because they are being actively encouraged to do so on the likes of TikTok.
And no matter how many clubs or activities are available to them, there will always be some who shun anything 'organised'. The police are limited in what they can do - the kids know they can't lay a finger on them. What the answer is, I don't know.

Make parent of those under 18 completely accountable, heavy fines, community service.

Bring back strong youth offending services.

Both of those would definitely help, as would banning mobile phones.

valdavi Wed 01-Apr-26 14:01:42

Cossy

I attended Primary School in the sixties and Secondary School in the seventies, in Essex, there certainly were gangs.

Remember the Krays?

Apparently there was v little juvenile delinquency on the Kray's patch, or other old-timer London gangs.

They would soon sort out any teenagers who were getting "uppity". Not that it's any sort of solution to this problem, hard men knocking young lads around - just an observation.

GrannyGravy13 Wed 01-Apr-26 13:58:34

David49 are you aware that current day Hells Angels (HAMC) raise millions of £’s and $’s across the world.

They run Toy Drives in the US, along with various fund raisers there, here and any country were they exist.

David49 Wed 01-Apr-26 13:47:16

There was plenty of youth and adult violence Teddy Boys then Mods and Rockers, there was also a local army barracks nearby and plenty of potential for a fight.
I was always wary of the Rockers their reputation was well justified and became the Hells Angels we have today

nanna8 Wed 01-Apr-26 13:26:18

There were mods and rockers but compared with kids today they were pretty tame. Druga weren’t much of an issue until the 1970s and even then it was more like smoking a bit of weed. The mods and rockers were pushing against each other but they weren’t bullies picking on lone kids. They didn’t break into shops en masse, they would have been sent to borstal for anything like that. The police were much more effective, more of them and more visible.

eazybee Wed 01-Apr-26 13:21:57

Gangs like the Krays were very highly organised and controlled gangs formed for violent criminal activities and a feared part of the criminal underworld. I don't think they ran amok on the streets.
The disturbances shown last night were more akin to the Mob, which has manifested itself down the centuries in forms of senseless violence from kicking a pig's bladder about whilst overturning a street market, from disgruntled football crowds,to storming the Tower of London,sometimes driven in part by a sense of injustice or simply resentment.

Mobs do it because they Can, so the first response is to make sure they Can't. Followed by swift appropriate punishment, then prevention, then addressing the causes.
But this behaviour has to be stopped, and it is initially the responsibility of the police.

Allira Wed 01-Apr-26 13:11:34

This happened mostly in the cities, where I grew up I don't remember gang warfare, and, although there were one or two students who took LSD, very few did take drugs in my experience.

Allira Wed 01-Apr-26 13:09:37

David49

twaddle

David49

They didn't have the gangs of schoolchildren where children were intimidated into joining a gang and got beaten up if they didn't or belonged to a different gang.

It's not just parents, schools and police don't tackle the problem, far too afraid of being accused of discrimination.

I don't know where you spent your childhood years, but in the town where I grew up on the 60s, there most certainly were gangs of schoolchildren. They were led by members of a handful of notorious families and people did get beaten up (or worse) if they crossed gang members. Even then, money was to be made from drug trafficking and it was known that weapons circulated.

No in the 60s police in this area didnt stand for nonsense, swearing at a police offices would get you a good hiding, if you complained to your parents you got more at home,they were pretty much respected, if not liked. There were a few hard cases at school but if you were caught bullying you got caned.

There were many more police in those days, they knew who were the trouble makers were and which pub they used, the local constables were frequent visitors to pubs on their rounds.

Today at night there is one car for half the county don't expect a quick response, drugs widespread.

There was gang warfare in some areas in the 1960s but I don't remember these gangs being comprised of such young schoolchildren, although some were youths.
Razor gangs, organised fights between Mods and Rockers, and, of course, the notorious gangs but they have been superseded by a new type of organised crime gangs.

Drugs were becoming more prevalent but nowhere near the extent that they are today. We've lost the battle.

kircubbin2000 Wed 01-Apr-26 13:05:00

Cossy

Btw, I’m pretty sure if “gangs” of a 100 children were running amok on a regular basis it would be all over the media!

Is this fake news?

David49 Wed 01-Apr-26 13:00:37

twaddle

David49

They didn't have the gangs of schoolchildren where children were intimidated into joining a gang and got beaten up if they didn't or belonged to a different gang.

It's not just parents, schools and police don't tackle the problem, far too afraid of being accused of discrimination.

I don't know where you spent your childhood years, but in the town where I grew up on the 60s, there most certainly were gangs of schoolchildren. They were led by members of a handful of notorious families and people did get beaten up (or worse) if they crossed gang members. Even then, money was to be made from drug trafficking and it was known that weapons circulated.

No in the 60s police in this area didnt stand for nonsense, swearing at a police offices would get you a good hiding, if you complained to your parents you got more at home,they were pretty much respected, if not liked. There were a few hard cases at school but if you were caught bullying you got caned.

There were many more police in those days, they knew who were the trouble makers were and which pub they used, the local constables were frequent visitors to pubs on their rounds.

Today at night there is one car for half the county don't expect a quick response, drugs widespread.

Caleo Wed 01-Apr-26 12:58:59

Sarnia

BRING BACK THE BIRCH!!!
This very effective deterrent was used in the Channel Islands when I was growing up there with the result of very little nuisance, theft and damage crimes amongst youths.
The ECHR banned it as inhumane which resulted in those crimes sky rocketing.

A significant side effect of corporal punishment is teaching the criminal that society holds that violence is a legitimate means to getting what you want.

Sarnia, your cause and effect logic is shaky.

Sarnia Wed 01-Apr-26 12:53:22

BRING BACK THE BIRCH!!!
This very effective deterrent was used in the Channel Islands when I was growing up there with the result of very little nuisance, theft and damage crimes amongst youths.
The ECHR banned it as inhumane which resulted in those crimes sky rocketing.

Cossy Wed 01-Apr-26 12:44:56

Thanks GG13 I’ll look later.

Cossy Wed 01-Apr-26 12:44:15

ViceVersa

There's a difference between kids simply hanging about because they have 'nothing to do', and others running riot and causing absolute mayhem because they are being actively encouraged to do so on the likes of TikTok.
And no matter how many clubs or activities are available to them, there will always be some who shun anything 'organised'. The police are limited in what they can do - the kids know they can't lay a finger on them. What the answer is, I don't know.

Make parent of those under 18 completely accountable, heavy fines, community service.

Bring back strong youth offending services.

GrannyGravy13 Wed 01-Apr-26 12:44:08

Cossy

Btw, I’m pretty sure if “gangs” of a 100 children were running amok on a regular basis it would be all over the media!

The incident in Clapham yesterday was on Breakfast News, two girls were arrested.

The video shown looked rather scary for shop owners and shoppers in the area.

Fallingstar Wed 01-Apr-26 12:43:52

The vast majority of children I see are not feral, yes there will be children who make a public nuisance of themselves it has ever been thus. And social media is of course to blame for some of this but when I was a child I recall a bunch of early teens rampaging on local people’s farms, setting fire to tractors, and that was in approx 1958, and we were from a small town near the Pennines. And yes the older generation back then blamed liberal parenting and rock and roll music.

Allira Wed 01-Apr-26 12:43:36

What the answer is, I don't know.

Ban mobile phones, but by the time this is done, a whole generation of these indoctrinated teenagers will gave become adults ☹

Cossy Wed 01-Apr-26 12:43:00

County Lines Trafficking of drugs is not as new as you might think.

As long as 20 years ago this was a problem.

We need better well trained “Bobbies” on our streets and those local police stations reopened (not gonna happen)