Mother claims 12-year-old son was beaten up by group of teens after chatting with girl on TikTok
A mother has alleged that her 12-year-old son was assaulted by several teenage boys after he chatted with a teenage girl online. The boy suffered bruising and swelling on his forehead, prompting his mother to lodge a police report.
The boy’s mother, who only wished to be known as Ai La (transliterated), 36, told Shin Min Daily News that her son had been chatting with a teenage girl on TikTok. She believes the girl’s boyfriend became unhappy about it, leading to the alleged assault.
Allegedly attacked by 2 teenage boys
The 12-year-old, who cannot be named, told Shin Min the incident happened at about 9pm on June 28 while he was playing with friends at a playground near One Punggol.
He said someone suddenly approached him and told him to stay where he was, saying others were on their way to “deal with” him.
He was then allegedly taken to the rooftop of a nearby HDB block, where several teenage boys were already waiting.
“At first they said it would be a one-on-one fight, but two of them attacked me together. I couldn’t do anything because there were so many of them and I couldn’t run away,” he said.
The boy said he knew the youths involved but was not close to them, having spoken to them only a few times. He estimated they were around 13 to 14 years old and often hung out in the neighbourhood.
He later learnt that the incident was linked to the girl he had met on TikTok.
“I didn’t even know she was one of their girlfriends. Afterwards, I deleted her and stopped contacting her,” he said.
Boy allegedly punched in the face and abdomen
Ai La said another physical altercation later broke out at the foot of the HDB block.
She alleged that one of the boys punched her son in the face and abdomen. Her son then fought back in self-defence but was quickly tackled to the ground by one of the boys before another allegedly joined in, repeatedly punching and kicking him.
“My son told me he could only cover his head with his hands and curl up on the ground,” she said, adding that he was unable to fight back and could only endure the kicks and punches until the group stopped. He then got up and walked home by himself.
Ai La said her son returned home with a large bruise and swelling on his forehead, but she did not realise he had been assaulted at the time.
“He told me he had fallen while playing. He’s always getting bumps and bruises, so I didn’t suspect anything. I just thought the injury looked serious and took a photo of it,” she said.
When she later found out what had happened, she said she was heartbroken and furious.
Believing it was a serious case involving a 12-year-old being surrounded and assaulted by multiple youths, she decided to lodge a police report.
She said she hopes the police will conduct a thorough investigation and prevent similar incidents from happening again.
In response to Stomp’s queries, the police confirmed that a report was lodged and that investigations are ongoing.
Afraid to go to school alone
The boy said he was too afraid to go to school by himself for several days after the incident.
He also claimed this was not the first time one of the boys had bullied him, alleging that the same youth had assaulted him one or two months earlier. According to him, this was the second time he had been attacked.
Ai La said the incident had clearly affected her son’s emotional well-being.
“I only found out what happened because I noticed he was afraid to leave the house,” she said.
“He doesn’t dare to go out alone now and has trouble sleeping at night because he’s worried they will come after him again.”
Resident recalls hearing shouting that night
It is understood the boy was taken to the rooftop of Block 310C Punggol Walk.
Nearby residents told Shin Min that teenagers frequently gather there to socialise.
One resident recalled hearing shouting on the night of the incident, describing it as a group of people yelling vulgarities in an agitated manner.
“It sounded like they were fighting, but I didn’t go out to see what was happening,” the resident said.
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