Media versus reality

Media reports about yob culture, hoodies, street gangs and the ASBO generation demonise teenagers and portray British youth in melt down from social problems fuelled by drug and alcohol abuse.

There is a lot of evidence to suggest this is the case in certain areas, but there is also a lot of evidence that shows that young people are doing better than ever before!

More British teenagers are better qualified, leaving high school with good qualifications and going on to university.

Youth unemployment has fallen dramatically since the 1980s.

Britain’s economy has done consistently well for more than a decade so more families are better off.

So why is our country at the top of almost every category of bad behaviour compared with the majority of our neighbours?

The IPPR report cites cultural differences, for example, Southern European countries with strong Catholic traditions that place a strong emphasis on the family. Scandinavian countries with much larger welfare states than Britain have created a strong sense of civic engagement amongst all generations.

But in the UK rising rates of divorce and single parenthood have undermined the traditional family set up, leaving lots of children and teenagers to their own devices so that ‘hanging out with mates’ is what teenagers do in the UK.

The difference seems to be that European and Scandinavian children grow up in a more traditional family environment with more adult interaction and better relationships between adults and children, particularly adolescents.