Harassed by kids in street

If you do film them please use a crossbody phone strap to try to stop them snatching your phone off you. Gripping it tightly won't work.

That’s all good to hear and now you’ve got permission to film them. You probably won’t see them again.

Good outcome. You have got support now, and will be prepared in case it happens again.

That’s really good OP. I’ve been thinking about you. My hometown has changed over the last 40 years in many cases not for the best.

i hope you never have any further problems with that group of children.

13Ghosts, shame oven cleaner spray ain't legal!!!

That's because people in your area would quite rightly smack them in the mouth. In other areas, people worry about the legalities of defending themselves, desert the streets to the yobs and try to get the police involved (who are useless. See PP). So the problem gets worse and worse.

Please don't call 999.

Why not? Children that age have killed adults and OP sounds small and vulnerable.
Plus I'm buggered if I know what else the police actually do nowadays anyway.

He mumbled something I couldn't hear, but got right up close to me, which is why I turned away.

In your experience, why do kids do this?

Stupidity and impunity.
In my experience, 12-13 is like second toddlerhood. Just look away and they do dumbest shit, like eat their own snot, scribble on walls and break whatever isn't nailed down.
Nobody willing to dish out any discipline isn't helpful either. Schools are very big on crap like uniform code, but when its antisocial behavior then there is "nothing they can do". Police will do fuck all and people are scared to even defend themselves.

I was thinking the same thing!

I live in what a lot of the UK think is a dangerous part of London. I never see kids behaving like this never

This kind of behaviour seems quite bad at the moment. In my local town centre kids now have free transport and while most kids use it for positive things it has lead to an increase of bored teens hanging about town up and getting up to no good including attacking people, often women. There are posts almost daily on local groups about something happening.

No, it's shorthand for Dear Children or Darling Children. Those children were neither.

HebburnPokemon · Yesterday 21:00

In your experience, why do kids do this?

Unfortunately, it's not really rational. They do it because they enjoy causing fear and pain, just like all bullies do. Once you're marked, that's probably it.

What would be the best way for me to respond?

I really don't have the answer, they may react OK one day and explode the next.

Going by your username, are you walking in the Hill Park area? I've friends there and there are loads of little scumbags on the estate. Junkie and dealer parents, jailbird parents and the like. One couple have a Belgian sheepdog ad the lady of the couple is happy to walk her, even at night.

The dog isn't aggressive, but has reacted to back her up at least twice.

i'm afraid if a dog as much as nips a kid, it will be ordered to die.

OP I get the feeling that responding physically is not something you would be comfortable with - like many other people.
Having worked with these sorts of kids I think I could handle the situation but it could rapidly escalate.
I agree with bodycam or baseball hat with camera. They are hands free and more discreet.
Your apparently calm response was good and also reporting the incident to the police.
I agree de escalation being the first point of defence and that is what I’d do.
Please be careful because some kids are capable of causing serious harm despite their age.

Why not?
Problem with women being easy targets is that they do not defend temselves in 99% of cases.
An adult woman can absolutely smash 12y old. Few of them.
Saying as someone who fought adult males.
They are mostly shocked by an attack.

Get a big dog. The harrasment will mysteriously stop.

Well that's nonsense for a start. The law is very clear on self defence.

A gang like this has been riding around my town swerving in front of traffic and spitting in windscreens and abusing motorists.

They rally on tik tok , meet up and cause mayhem. The police have issued a dispersal order in one of their meet up places .