Hostility towards teens has exploded on the North Shore. But with youth crime declining, is it media scaremongering, or warranted?
WARNING: This story mentions suicide. If you need help, call Lifeline 13 11 14
Griping about youth is nothing new and on the North Shore, tensions are boiling over. Social media screams about teens – on screens they’re slackers, snowflakes, in the wild, they’re menaces chasing chaos. But, with statistics showing a decline in youth crime and mounting evidence that they’ve drawn the social short straw, is this friction harboured in fact? Do teens merit the angst or are the actions of a few – spread rapidly and repeatedly on socials – tarring Gen Alpha?
Sydney’s silver tsunami is showing no signs of slowing, with think tank Committee for Sydney saying that, while there are 29 people over the age of 65 per 100 working-aged today, by 2070, that will rise to 42. This rapidly ageing population will be disproportionately concentrated on the North Shore, it finds, with age structure forecasts for Mosman showing a 22% drop in working aged and a 10% retiree rise between 2021 and 2031. This buttoned-up burb – like many – are at risk of losing the untold economic and cultural benefits that a thriving young presence brings.
Twelve of the top 20 safest suburbs are on the North Shore, with crime rates below 1,100 per 100,000 people – at least 83% under the NSW average, says a new report from NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR). Youth crime fell by 15% in NSW over the 10 years to December 2025, with BOSCAR confirming that the North Shore has one of the state’s lowest youth offending levels.
There were just 13 crimes per 100,000 people of all ages in Willoughby East last year, compared to 5,275 in the number one ranked Walgett. Western Sydney’s Blacktown had more than triple the North Shore’s tally. As a result, antisocial behaviour garners intense local attention. Publications including Mosman Collective, Nine News and news.com.au have reported on incidents including shoplifting from liquor stores, a youth allegedly holding a firearm – in reality an AK-47 replica gel blaster – on Carrington Avenue, Mosman, and e-bike riding teens hurling eggs at a family on Macpherson Street in Cremorne.
Eager to turn the tide is Lifeline ambassador Matthew Caruana, 26, who became paraplegic at 16 after attempting suicide. He now works as a mental resilience advocate, alongside competing on the Australian National Para Climbing team. “One of the most common things young people tell me is that they don’t feel understood by adults, and that disconnect can have a real impact on their mental health,” Matthew tells NL. “Many teenagers feel they are being judged by the actions of a small minority. Whether it’s a lack of trust, unrealistic expectations or assumptions about their generation, the message many young people receive is that they are not fully understood or valued.
North Sydney Council’s Youth Plan gives young people a say
Matthew Caruana works as a mental resilience advocate
“Many teenagers feel they are being judged by the actions of a small minority.”
Matthew Caruana, youth mental health advocate
“Teenagers are looking for connection, trust and recognition. They want adults who are willing to listen, understand their perspective and acknowledge their strengths and achievements. Communities play a critical role in this. Whether through sport, volunteering, creative pursuits, leadership opportunities or community initiatives, these experiences allow young people to build meaningful relationships and put their strengths to positive use,” adds Matthew.
A major loss for North Shore youth was last year’s closure of the North Sydney PCYC on Falcon Street, ending 70 years-worth of critical safe space provision, from martial arts to driving theory. The hub served ‘vital social and recreational needs in North Sydney, particularly for young people,’ North Sydney Mayor, Zoë Baker, tells NL. “As North Sydney grows, demand for recreation and youth services continues to increase. The 2025 Australian Liveability Census highlighted the importance of supporting positive outcomes for younger residents.”
Neither the PCYC nor council have been able to identify a suitable alternative location for the service. “However, council remains committed to working with the PCYC to identify opportunities in the North Sydney LGA in the medium to longer term,” Mayor Baker concludes.
Stepping into the breach is Mosman Youth Services, providing support and social connections, while Planet X Youth Centre in North Sydney offers colour runs and free food nights. The Sydney Drug Education & Counselling Centre offers free counselling for young people aged 12 to 25 across the North Shore. North Sydney Council’s Youth Development Plan is helping to shape the future of youth, alongside monthly Youth Interagency meetings, covering volunteering and work opportunities.
But why should the community get behind the kids that don’t warrant it? The ones sending shady SnapChats, threatening shopkeepers across Crows Nest and St Leonards, with Willoughby MP Tim James elevating that incident to the NSW Police Commissioner. Cleaving the community is the e-bike, exacerbated by the roll-out of the Lime bike hire scheme. A theoretical green dream-turned rogue of the road with few regulations and rash decisions, schools including Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College and Marist College have taken steps to stop the scourge, with parent permissions, adherence to helmet usage and limitations on where e-bikes can be brought onto campus.
Mosman High School hosted a roundtable with North Shore MP Felicity Wilson, to formulate ideas on how to address the e-bike challenge. Ms Wilson – who has highlighted concerns from residents over issues including e-bike behaviours, car theft in the suburb, and hooning at Blues Point and Waverton, recently conversed with students from Queenwood in NSW Parliament about issues that are important to them in the local area.
Troublemakers exist in all generations, there were just fewer phones to capture them and fewer platforms to publicly moralise and share, whipping us up into a frenzy of fears over society swirling down the plughole.
University of Southern Queensland communications professor Andrew Hickey tells ABC that young people have been turned into the proverbial ‘folk devil,’ who take the blame for society’s ills. “What we’re seeing with the current ‘crime crisis’ is this has become real in the public imagination, even if statistics tell us rates are declining. Sensationalised reporting about something the public thinks is an issue reinforces sentiment,” Mr Hickey says.
Adolescence is messy. It’s noisy. It doesn’t fit the brief. Teens will never make decisions as an adult would, but washing our hands of them is short-changing the community we are seeking to save. Teens must come to the party, but bridging the generation gap is a job for us all.