SINGAPORE: The student went to a store near his school, and when no one was looking, helped himself to some bottles of drinks. He left without paying.
The drinks weren't meant for him - they were for friends, or rather friends he was hoping to make. And the student later said he had every intention to return to the store to pay for what he took.
This case, shared by a psychologist, illustrates how the desire to fit in a social circle is among factors pushing youths in Singapore - some as young as 10 years old - to commit theft.
Details were kept to a minimum upon the psychologist's request to avoid identifying the student.
In the first half of 2025, the number of young people arrested for shoplifting increased by 41.1 per cent from the corresponding period last year, going from 192 cases to 271. Those nabbed were aged between 10 and 19, according to latest statistics released by the Singapore police.
Shop theft was one of the top offences committed by youths, a trend flagged by authorities since their previous report last year.
Shoplifting also formed the largest proportion of physical crime cases in the first six months of this year.
Psychology experts told CNA that for many youths, shoplifting has to do with seeking out new and - to them - exciting pursuits.
The reward centre of the brain - which motivates and reinforces behaviours associated with positive experiences - is "highly sensitive" during the teenage period.
This nudges them to favour doing things that feel good or fun, said educational and child psychologist Dr Vivien Yang from Bloom Child Psychology.
Dr John Shepherd Lim, chief well-being officer at the Singapore Counselling Centre (SCC), noted that the young typically have limited faculties of impulse control and moral reasoning, as these are still in the process of developing.
Since they do not understand the reality of what they are doing, stealing and shoplifting can become "glamourised" as a form of achievement, he added.
Youths are also concurrently navigating questions of identity and moral belonging, which can make them especially susceptible to peer influence and yearn for acceptance.
As such, they sometimes value short-term gains such as approval from friends over long-term repercussions, added Annabelle Psychology's Ms Stephanie Chan.
She said youths spend the bulk of their time with friends, and in trying to fit in, may see shoplifting as a dare or as a way to grow in status.
"(It) makes the immediate thrill or gaining 'street cred' from stealing so much more compelling than abstract consequences like legal trouble," she added.
Social media too has shaped up as a new influence. In 2021 a viral TikTok challenge, where participants bragged about the things they stole from schools, made its way to Singapore and led to two teens being investigated.
Such phenomena, along with the need for online validation, can influence youths to take risks, as they may be more focused on the attention or popularity that they can gain rather than the illegality of their actions, Ms Chan said.
Among the shop theft cases reported to the police in the first half of this year, more than half involved losses below S$50 (US$39).
The items typically stolen were food and beverages, alcoholic drinks and personal care products.
Meanwhile the majority of the cases involving youths occurred at supermarkets, convenience stores, minimarts as well as personal care and health and wellness shops.
Small products, both in size and value, are often not immediately noticeable until shop staff check inventory to tally sales, said the SCC's Dr Lim.
Convenience stores and minimarts are also at times understaffed, with just one cashier on site. "No one is looking at what the shoppers … are actually doing because they're busy monitoring the cash register. So, it makes it a lot easier for people to shoplift," he added.
As for supermarkets, while bigger and with more employees around, it is easier to blend in with the crowd. Dr Lim added that shoplifters can be smart and savvy enough to know where blind spots and closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras are, in order to position themselves in a way that conceals their actions.
Dr Yang and Ms Chan also pointed out that youths may convince themselves that it is "not too bad" to steal items of lower value. They may mistakenly believe that even if caught, they would be able to get away with an apology since nothing expensive was pocketed.
Dr Yang said they could also self-rationalise that the shops were not going to be affected by their actions, which then helps them feel less guilty.
If such youths continue to slip through the cracks, it could reinforce the idea they have that stealing something cheap is acceptable. And over time, the line between that and what they perceive to be unacceptable becomes arbitrary and blurred, said Ms Chan from Annabelle Psychology.
The shoplifting may start off small and petty, but sometimes this can be the precursor to more brazen acts, experts noted. Low-value items may eventually lose their appeal, prompting the youths to aim for bigger and more expensive products instead.
But those who spoke to CNA also stressed that this demographic of shoplifters should not be prematurely labelled as criminals.
"These youths are not hardened criminals. They're still learning about boundaries, identity and self-control," said Dr Lim from SCC.
Early intervention and the right guidance is thus needed to steer them towards a healthy pathway for growth. Punishment alone "barely works", he said.
Clinical psychologist and psychoanalytic psychotherapist Dr Shawn Ee said it was "not typical" for a psychologically well-adjusted child to begin their younger years wanting to take from others.
Even reasons such as thrill-seeking, peer pressure and social media could take the focus away from possible internal psychological struggles in these youths.
What should be considered instead, he said, is whether they feel safe to ask for things and have their needs met. This way, they would be able to learn how to control themselves and even learn to earn things they want, rather than steal.
Building capacity for empathy and building healthier relationships can also support long-term development of younger folks, said Dr Ee, who is from the clinic The Psychology Practice. This, in turn, would increase the chances of them meeting their underlying needs - without having to turn to theft - and also also the chances of managing their risk of recidivism.
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The drinks weren't meant for him - they were for friends, or rather friends he was hoping to make. And the student later said he had every intention to return to the store to pay for what he took.
This case, shared by a psychologist, illustrates how the desire to fit in a social circle is among factors pushing youths in Singapore - some as young as 10 years old - to commit theft.
Details were kept to a minimum upon the psychologist's request to avoid identifying the student.
In the first half of 2025, the number of young people arrested for shoplifting increased by 41.1 per cent from the corresponding period last year, going from 192 cases to 271. Those nabbed were aged between 10 and 19, according to latest statistics released by the Singapore police.
Shop theft was one of the top offences committed by youths, a trend flagged by authorities since their previous report last year.
Shoplifting also formed the largest proportion of physical crime cases in the first six months of this year.
Related:
"STREET CRED"
Psychology experts told CNA that for many youths, shoplifting has to do with seeking out new and - to them - exciting pursuits.
The reward centre of the brain - which motivates and reinforces behaviours associated with positive experiences - is "highly sensitive" during the teenage period.
This nudges them to favour doing things that feel good or fun, said educational and child psychologist Dr Vivien Yang from Bloom Child Psychology.
Dr John Shepherd Lim, chief well-being officer at the Singapore Counselling Centre (SCC), noted that the young typically have limited faculties of impulse control and moral reasoning, as these are still in the process of developing.
Since they do not understand the reality of what they are doing, stealing and shoplifting can become "glamourised" as a form of achievement, he added.
Youths are also concurrently navigating questions of identity and moral belonging, which can make them especially susceptible to peer influence and yearn for acceptance.
As such, they sometimes value short-term gains such as approval from friends over long-term repercussions, added Annabelle Psychology's Ms Stephanie Chan.
She said youths spend the bulk of their time with friends, and in trying to fit in, may see shoplifting as a dare or as a way to grow in status.
"(It) makes the immediate thrill or gaining 'street cred' from stealing so much more compelling than abstract consequences like legal trouble," she added.
Social media too has shaped up as a new influence. In 2021 a viral TikTok challenge, where participants bragged about the things they stole from schools, made its way to Singapore and led to two teens being investigated.
Such phenomena, along with the need for online validation, can influence youths to take risks, as they may be more focused on the attention or popularity that they can gain rather than the illegality of their actions, Ms Chan said.
Related:
LOOTING CHEAP
Among the shop theft cases reported to the police in the first half of this year, more than half involved losses below S$50 (US$39).
The items typically stolen were food and beverages, alcoholic drinks and personal care products.
Meanwhile the majority of the cases involving youths occurred at supermarkets, convenience stores, minimarts as well as personal care and health and wellness shops.
Small products, both in size and value, are often not immediately noticeable until shop staff check inventory to tally sales, said the SCC's Dr Lim.
Convenience stores and minimarts are also at times understaffed, with just one cashier on site. "No one is looking at what the shoppers … are actually doing because they're busy monitoring the cash register. So, it makes it a lot easier for people to shoplift," he added.
As for supermarkets, while bigger and with more employees around, it is easier to blend in with the crowd. Dr Lim added that shoplifters can be smart and savvy enough to know where blind spots and closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras are, in order to position themselves in a way that conceals their actions.
Dr Yang and Ms Chan also pointed out that youths may convince themselves that it is "not too bad" to steal items of lower value. They may mistakenly believe that even if caught, they would be able to get away with an apology since nothing expensive was pocketed.
Dr Yang said they could also self-rationalise that the shops were not going to be affected by their actions, which then helps them feel less guilty.
If such youths continue to slip through the cracks, it could reinforce the idea they have that stealing something cheap is acceptable. And over time, the line between that and what they perceive to be unacceptable becomes arbitrary and blurred, said Ms Chan from Annabelle Psychology.
Related:
"NOT HARDENED CRIMINALS"
The shoplifting may start off small and petty, but sometimes this can be the precursor to more brazen acts, experts noted. Low-value items may eventually lose their appeal, prompting the youths to aim for bigger and more expensive products instead.
But those who spoke to CNA also stressed that this demographic of shoplifters should not be prematurely labelled as criminals.
"These youths are not hardened criminals. They're still learning about boundaries, identity and self-control," said Dr Lim from SCC.
Early intervention and the right guidance is thus needed to steer them towards a healthy pathway for growth. Punishment alone "barely works", he said.
Clinical psychologist and psychoanalytic psychotherapist Dr Shawn Ee said it was "not typical" for a psychologically well-adjusted child to begin their younger years wanting to take from others.
Even reasons such as thrill-seeking, peer pressure and social media could take the focus away from possible internal psychological struggles in these youths.
What should be considered instead, he said, is whether they feel safe to ask for things and have their needs met. This way, they would be able to learn how to control themselves and even learn to earn things they want, rather than steal.
Building capacity for empathy and building healthier relationships can also support long-term development of younger folks, said Dr Ee, who is from the clinic The Psychology Practice. This, in turn, would increase the chances of them meeting their underlying needs - without having to turn to theft - and also also the chances of managing their risk of recidivism.
Continue reading...