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A number of incidents involving youth violence filmed and shared online, known internationally as ‘post-and-boast’ assaults, have sparked concerns among Hibiscus Coast educators and community youth police about the influence of social media.
Locally, police have reported cases involving children as young as 11 and 12 carrying out assaults, and Rodney district youth aid police sergeant Jon Williams says there has also been a concerning rise in young females participating in these incidents.
“The biggest surprise over the 24 years of my career has been the increase in female offending rates for assault, Williams says.” Twenty years ago you rarely saw young females appearing in courts, and if they did it was usually drugs or gang-related, now it’s for assaulting other girls.”
Williams ascribes the rise in these assaults partly to the influence of social media driving a need for young people to gain status and notoriety.
“Girls especially don’t understand the damage they can cause. They watch others fighting on social media and don’t understand the consequences of violence, and it worries me that it’s only a matter of time before someone is badly hurt.”
The ‘post and boast’ mentality has prompted countries like Australia to consider laws criminalising the filming and distribution of violent acts on social media in a move to protect vulnerable young people from exploitation and harm.
In November 2024, the Australian Parliament passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, setting a mandatory minimum age of 16 for users on specific social media platforms. This legislation requires platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and Snapchat to implement measures preventing people under 16 from creating or maintaining accounts. Non-compliance can result in fines of up to AUD 49.5 million.
Online safety advocate and educator for youth Rob Cope wants similar laws enacted in New Zealand.
“We have this problem because we have let social media raise our kids, Cope says.” We haven’t protected our children online and this is the fallout from that. Their brains are not developed enough to access all the stuff they see, and now we have this massive societal issue.”
The growth in female assaults may be a consequence of girls spending more time online than boys, he says.
“Girls in particular get into arguments online and then carry it back into school with them. They can never escape from it. I’ve heard one principal describe it as they leave school the best of mates and return as mortal enemies.”
Whangaparāoa College principal Steve McCracken says the rise of youth violence linked to social media is a serious concern for schools and the wider community.
“As educators, we see firsthand how online conflicts spill over into the classroom, creating real-world consequences for students’ wellbeing and learning, McCracken says.” The ‘post-and-boast’ culture rewards harmful behaviour, normalising aggression among young people who may not fully understand the impact of their actions. We have to take this seriously.”
Cope says part of the solution lies with parents leading by example. He recommends limiting their children’s access to social media and runs education seminars and online courses to help parents adopt a healthier approach to social media use with their children.
Cope is running an online safety parent’s event at Whangaparāoa College on Tuesday March 25 from 7pm. It is open to the public. Info: check the college’s Facebook page for further details.
