UK youths among the worst in Europe?

Question

"The boys and girls who casually pick fights, have s*x and keep the emergency services fully occupied are often fueled by cheap booze...They are more likely to try drugs or start smoking young. English girls are the most sexually active in Europe. More of them are having s*x aged 15 or younger, and more than 15% fail to use contraception when they do - which means that Britain has high rates of both teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Small wonder, then, that a 2007 UNICEF study of child wellbeing in 21 industrialized countries placed Britain firmly at the bottom of the table."

TIME, 'Britain's Mean Streets' by Cathernine Mayer

The article above demonstrates the way in which so many British teenagers are taking up drugs, drink, violence and promiscuity on such an abominably large scale. Despite being a young teenager myself [I am sixteen years of age] I am absolutely sick of it.

Is there some sort of sociological explanation as to why this is happenning?

Answer 1

just c**p parents

Answer 2

do we care

who need pepsie juice or spright if you do your weak

whats wrong with s*x n rock n roll drugs r scanky like but so what if were foot loose

and the lads i sleep wid use comdoms so whats your point agen

o and i drink vodka(smirnof) n red bull n it comes to 15£ so yeh thats cheap

Answer 3

It's all fault of parents who don't care about their children and when their children do mistakes their parent's feel guilty. I will give advice to parents to take care of their children before it's too late for them to react.

Answer 4

Kids are no longer taught manners and respect.  I travel to the UK many times a year and spend quite a lot of time around locals.  I am shocked at the language, the smoking and the lack of respect shown to adults; i.e. sitting down on the tube when an elderly person is standing (and struggling), saying mean things to people as they're walking down the sidewalk, drunk youth hanging around on the tube, in the stations and in the shopping centers.  I find it entirely disturbing.

I applaud you for being aware of what is going on in our society and hope that you will continue on your path.

Answer 5

yes

there is

governors are all old guys

they cannot see the needings of the youth

they are only interested in perpetuation in the power to increase their own benefits

corruption is the name

jane

Answer 6

Explanation?   We got too soft.

We stupidly did away with hanging, national service, corporal punishment, and the parental right to smack.

We need to rewind about fifty years, to the generation who held doors open for ladies, lifted their hats, got the occasional clip round the ear,  loved and respected their parents and were scared of the police and their teachers.

Answer 7

Too many rules, too little discipline.

I am 15 myself, but I don't do any of that stuff. I'm the creepy nerd person who sits at a laptop for hours on end listening to "Learn Japanese the Easy Way".

I think nearly every adult (with the odd exception of an educated one) thinks that all teenagers are drunken, drugged-up zombies with no point of life other than to lose virginity.

There is only the media to blame. I mean, how many times do you see a teenager being congratulated for something good, compared to the amount of times you see a chav wandering around a council estate on the news?

I am 15, and have got As in all of my subjects, A*s in English literature, language and French. Yet I dress like a total prat. Admittedly. I always wonder sometimes maybe I need my CV stapled to my back before people think I'm a chav.

Answer 8

Ah, well, it's true.

There is a lot of s*x on TV, for the most part, and a lot of violence. I know you can't blame the parents for everything because the kids obviously make bad decisions themselves.

Parents should be watching their kids more closely,but however, they should be allowing the kids SOME freedom. Having no freedom can bring out the worst behaviour among teenagers once they get out of their parents' clutches.

Answer 9

I'm also 15, and I don't get involved with any of what has been mentioned, e.g. drugs, cigarettes, however, I do enjoy the occasional drink in the house on a weekend, my parents don't mind, as long as I'm drinking in the house and not outside where anything could happen...

I really do think most of the other teenagers are just uneducated and, also, as previously stated, rude mannered and show a lack of respect.

It does infuriate me, because the other teenagers are giving the rest of us a bad name for ourselves.

Answer 10

i think part of the problem is the 'nanny state' culture

20 years or so ago when the issue of child abuse was addressed (and long overdue imo) the solution was then to give kids a break - fair enough.  but that was a previous generation - this generation needs boundaries and firm ones at that to ensure the rights of everyone else too

teachers rights are never addressed, parents are told NOT to discipline their kids and the police are given no powers of arrest to anyone under a certain age - so when kids do behave abominably our government has removed any possible sanctions that adults could (and should) employ to remedy the situation

and dispite what the media portray most young people are actually nice people who are as sick of the yobbos as the rest of us (i am sure you can bear me out on this with asking a question like this)

how about this - with rights come RESPONSIBILITY.  if those yobbos want 'respect' how about showing some?

ie dont break into my car at 5am - why not do it in broad daylight when everyone can see?  (happened a year ago)

- dont let off fireworks at 3am outside my kids bedroom window (last nights news)

- keep your motorbikes on the road - not down my cul de sac where you DONT live and DONT belong (an ongoing problem in our neighbourhood)

- go home after dark and dont congregate with all 20 mates hassling passers by (another ongoing problem around here)

- if you are old enough to smoke on the bus then arent you old enough to pay adult fair?

- if you are old enough to be drinking tins of beer in public then arent you old enough to get a job to pay for it? (oh it wasnt MY fault - i was too drunk to take responsibility etc etc!!)

ok just a list i think soceity could address with those teens who think that they can do anything they like and get away with it (and the police have given up on sorting it out anyways)

i think if we scrapped allowing kids to 'write off' any misdemeanours they commited below the age of 17 and they could be tried as an adult from the age of 14 (as in america) then i think this would sort out a lot of the garbage behaviour that a minority indulge in that intimidate their neighbourhood

Answer 11

an overall breakdown in values and discipline is a root cause. coupled with  social issues such as single parents .no role models etc all play a part.

  I had a rough upbringing in east end of London, got into trouble with police etc and ended up in court. That all changed when My mother swapped  our natural father for a step father who had an iron discipline and a strict sense of morals towards right and wrong in all areas.

although we as children hated  him when ever  he blocked our activities or kept us in!! etc. he did lay foundations  for our future and literally saved us form a life of crime.

it's only when we look back ans see where we went wrong we can fathom out we all need rules and strong guidance especially when young.

  I could never for example swear at a teacher  or I would be in fear of  a hiding within an  inch of my life when I got home. nowadays  not a single teacher can command  much respect and and child  who takes offence can claim he/she touched them or otherwise  whoever true or not. We now have a group of society who  know all their 'rights' but the value of none.

  even today in a major town like Romford in essex. after say 9pm  nobody over trhe age of 30-35 will wait at a bus stop for fear of being targeted etc. we have feral youths  running around free  in teh knowledge that they know thier rights and god help you if you try and object.

thsi is not all doom and gloom. i have met one young (21) man who took all of xmas using his own time and car to chaperone folk back and forth to hospitals who  could not get there to visit sick friends. teher ARE many young folk who see  the difference between right and wrong and choose the best path. sadly we have a government and ruling elite which is bent on observing  strict rules to the letter and  throwing common sense out of the window.

Answer 12

I'm 19 but still a teenager just!

I know what you mean i have seen girls sleep round, get pregnant and young boys do some seriously evil things. I think we really need to teach the girls about contraception alot more in school rather than keep this a hushed up issue. I think the bullies/young kids that do wrong need to be sent to some sort of military school and we need a much bigger and more aware support system for all the other kids who are suffering because of these types of people and becoming suicidal.

Answer 13

On a matter of grammar "youths" usually refers to men, and not women.

On the question: This is a select few, who are making the rest of us, look like a bunch of yobs.

Answer 14

Alot of this is there up bringing and not getting told off when they are naughty. You need to tell  your children off from a young age so that they then get used to it when they gt older. It is dreadful watching teenagers doing it. Embarassing becuase i then get that label because I'm 14!!

X

Answer 15

Bad parenting and a reduction of moral standards within society coupled with the promotion of Homosexuality.