When a mother in Adelaide, Australia, felt her daughter’s cries for help were being ignored, she took matters into her own hands—by storming into a classroom and issuing a chilling threat to the girl accused of bullying her child.
Since a video of the incident was released, thousands on the internet have rallied around the desperate mother, showing empathy for her situation and understanding for her outburst—while simultaneously calling for accountability from the school for ignoring the bullying and allowing the situation to escalate so severely.
On Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, 7News—an Adelaide-based news program—obtained disturbing footage from St. Paul’s College in Gilles Plains, Australia. In the photo-recorded video footage, a mother is heard threatening a student and infringing on their personal space, eventually being held back by an individual presumed to be the woman’s husband.
“You ever f*ing mess with my daughter again, I’ll slit your f*ing throat,” the woman yelled. “You want to f*ing go, b*tch? You want to f*ing go? I’m you f*ing worst night, b*tch. I’m you worst f*ing nightmare.”
As the tirade continues, students and parents can be seen watching on in horror. Eventually, the 44-second video concludes when the woman is removed from the room. According to South Australia Police via 7News, nobody present was physically injured.
@7newsaustralia EXCLUSIVE: ‘I’m your f****** worst nightmare bitch… I’ll slit your f****** throat.’ Police are investigating after a parent was caught on camera unleashing inside a Gilles Plains classroom. The woman can be heard threatening a 12-year-old girl as shocked year 8 students watched on in horror. #GillesPlains #Adelaide #7NEWS ♬ original sound – 7NEWS Australia
As news broke of the verbal attack, viewers nearly immediately voiced support for the distressed mother. One Facebook user wrote, “Always protect your child, the generation these days can kill your child with the bullying going around.”
Another added, “I would rather take my chance on the judiciary system rather to see my child dead because of bullying.”
‘I went into survival mode’
Two days after the video was released, the mother admitted to 7News that her actions were wrong, explaining that she was desperate to end her child’s suffering. After one full year of bullying, she explains, her daughter’s mental health had severely declined, and she had been driven to self-harm.
“I don’t want my daughter to be another statistic. I don’t want to have to bury my child,” the mother said in an interview with 7News. “She was crying, she was devastated that this child told her to go and hang herself.”
She recounts that she had tried everything to stop the bullying, pleading with her daughter’s school for help, but that the school had ignored her concerns.
“I have stated time and time again to the school that we are begging,” she said. “We begged for help. We begged.”
Then, when she encountered the bully that day, the mother told 7News that she just snapped. “That is a breaking point for any parent. I went into survival mode and protective mode. I did let loose, unfortunately was a side, I don’t show very often. But that was a tipping point for that day.”
She then apologized for her behavior. “What everybody has seen of me is not who I am as a mother or as a person,” she added.
‘Team mama bear’
The video soon went viral, and while some condemned the woman’s outburst—including South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, who called her actions “indefensible” and “mind-boggling” — many online rallied around the distraught mother, believing she had been driven to that point.
“Team mama bear,” wrote one TikToker. Another added, “I read a comment that said ‘I would rather go to court than attend my daughter’s funeral’ so true.”
“It really shows this was the final straw for this mum,” said TikTok influencer @CoachJessDickson. “For a mum to lose her sh*t like that, she’s f*ing saving her daughter’s life. That’s my view on it anyway.”
@coachjessdickson How would you have handled this situation? Team mama bear? #mumsoftiktok ♬ original sound – briscoachjess
Other commenters held the school accountable, voicing frustration that St. Paul’s College had not taken the mother’s concerns seriously.
“Why is it that schools always say they don’t allow bullying but then when someone reports bullying they do nothing about it?” one TikTok user asked. “I would’ve been right there beside her if my kid was in the same school,” wrote another.
‘We should evaluate and prevent these things from happening’
The cause for anger and outrage seems understandable when you examine the statistics around bullying. According to the National Bullying Prevention Center, one out of every five students reports being bullied. In addition, students who experience bullying are at increased risk for dropping out of school, depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, and lower academic achievement.
Perhaps most concerning, a new review of studies from 13 countries published in the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health found signs of a connection between bullying, being bullied, and suicide in children.
According to the review’s lead author Young-Shin Kim, M.D., assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine’s Child Study Center, the existing research means adults need to more attention to bullying and signs of high-risk behavior in children. “When we see kids who are targets of bullying, we should ask them if they’re thinking about hurting themselves,” she said. “We should evaluate and prevent these things from happening.”
@gapgreekandproud Controversy over a mother who went to school and threatened a bully. Her daughter is 13 years old and severely bullied for over 12 months…the parents went to the teacher and was ignored…the principal did nothing. How many young children need to suffer and many “un alive ” themselves for BULLYING to become a criminal offence? This is a very serious topic. We need to do more to protect our children. I feel.for this mamma.i would have done the same..i have heard many bully stories…thoughts?.
♬ original sound – GAP
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