Is "youths" a dirty word?

Question

do you think the media has made it so? It seems everywhere you read "youths" are committing some kind of detriments to society. They've been getting a lot of bad press lately. What kind of things do you associate with the word "youths"?

Answer 1

To me, the word itself holds no negative connotation, just as the terms elderly or the boomers do not.

However, we can subjectively ascribe some universal trait to these groups.  But, that labeling doesn't really change any behavior, not does it accurately describe it, in most cases.

Answer 2

'Youths' has negative connotation and has done for several decades. 'Youth' (uncountable) is a different word altogether.