Centrepoint Kids

"Centrepoint Kids" is a term used to describe the social phenomenon of groups of youths who used to hang out at shopping complexes in Singapore during the mid 1980s. This term came about after the demolition of the old Cold Storage building and the construction of the new Centrepoint in 1982-1983, after which, a growing number of teenagers went there to "hang out". Seen as public nuisance, they were labelled the "Centrepoint Kids". In a survey done in December 1985 by the Youth Challenge Singapore, the youngest Centrepoint Kid interviewed was 10 years old and the oldest 26.

They are easily identified by their outlandish outfits and avant-garde hairdos. While some of the youths had been found committing crimes such as smoking, glue-sniffing, fighting and shoplifting, most were there just to make friends. However, shopkeepers complained that these youths were blocking passageways at shopping centres and frightening away potential customers. By 1986, this social phenomenon had slowly faded out after a campaign was launched to educate students about social responsibility and talks, which pointed out the dangers of joining the Centrepoint Kids, were held in schools. Some school principals had even issued orders forbidding students from forming or joining such groups.

The organization, Youth Challenge Singapore, was set up by Centrepoint's management as a direct response to the Centrepoint Kids phenomenon. Some of these kids were studied sociologically with a focus on their personal and family backgrounds. Other similar moral panics that have appeared in the Singapore media includes the McDonald Kids (early 1980s), the Marina Square kids (early 1990s) and the Far East Plaza Kids (mid 1990s).