The 12-year-old girl was walking on the footpath near Miles Street just before 9am when a man she did not know allegedly grabbed her, then released her and fled the area.
The grab was forceful enough to cause bruising.
Police arrested a 21-year-old man in Kirra at 10.15am and charged him with assault occasioning bodily harm.
He will face court in Coolangatta on January 12 next year.
Police investigations are ongoing.