Sunshine Coast school fight videos: Concerned mother speaks out

A Sunshine Coast mum was “horrified” at a video of a boy she knew being stomped on in the street. But it was just the tip of the iceberg for acts of violence caught on camera.

A Sunshine Coast mother says she is concerned for the safety of her children after seeing videos showing students coming to blows while onlookers film and jeer.

Hunchy mother Michelle Young said she was “horrified” when she found a video posted to Instagram of a boy she knew being stomped on in public.

She alerted the boy’s mother, who confronted her son about it.

“(He) said he was too scared to tell her that it had happened,” Ms Young said.

The confronting video was shared on a private Instagram account, as were the majority of accounts of this nature.

Ms Young then came across another account, this one public, with videos posted between March and April of Sunshine Coast teenagers, including students in uniform, attacking one another while others watched on.

A students head appears to be stomped on in a disturbing fight video posted to Instagram.

Ms Young and others have attempted to have the account removed, but it was still active at the time of publishing.

It does not appear to have been active since its last video was shared on April 6.

Reports of Instagram accounts dedicated to videos of students fighting was also reported at the end of 2022, when various accounts depicting an alleged fight culture within schools and other areas surfaced online.

Ms Young said the videos made her worry for her children’s safety, as she had a son who had recently started high school.

“Realising its from the local schools, (I am) horrified, makes me want to be sick,” she said.

“If you go to the toilet and there’s fights happening in there … I just think its sickening.”

In two of the videos on the account, teachers are seen trying to intervene in the fights; but Ms Young said it should not be a teacher’s responsibility to get between brawling students.

“The teacher’s job is to teach … Why should it be the teacher’s problem when they’re our kids?” She said.

Screenshots of Sunshine Coast fight videos posted to a public Instagram account.

Ms Young said she believed the upcoming phone ban at all Queensland State Schools from Term 1 in 2024 would help in quashing the trend.

A Queensland Education spokesman said there was no data to suggest there had been an increase in fight videos in state schools on the Sunshine Coast.

The spokesman said the department works closely with the eSafety Commissioner to help students be safe online, which included addressing and responding to fight videos.

Support and resources including services to request online content be removed, were available for school staff, students and families, the spokesman said.

“Anyone with concerns regarding inappropriate content online should contact the school or closest regional office so it can be reported and removed.”

Originally published as Sunshine Coast school fight videos: Concerned mother speaks out