Attitudes to children and young people: examples of media reporting.

BBC NEWS | UK | British adults 'fear youngsters'

22 Oct 2006

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6074252.stm

Youngsters on why adults fear them – Sunday Sun

7 Dec 2008 … Youngsters on why adults fear them. Dec 7 2008 by Coreena Ford, Sunday Sun. CHILDREN have had a rough ride of late. …

www.sundaysun.co.uk/…/youngsters-on-why-adults-fear-them-79310-22421583

Marginalised British youngsters leave adults living in fear, says …

29 Mar 2008 … Time magazine claims Britain's youth out of control, prompting fresh debate among child welfare experts.

www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/mar/29/ukcrime.children

There is this thoughtful piece from the Independent by Robert Verkaik and Arifa Akbar 23 October 2006.

Behind the stereotypes: The shocking truth about teenagers

According to the report, British adults are also twice as likely than German … when politicians refer to youngsters as yobs – that breeds the actual fear. …

www.independent.co.uk › News › UK › This Britain

Adults 'are demonising youngsters out of fear' | Mail Online

25 Mar 2009 … Adults are suffering from ephebiphobia – fear of young people – and it's …. 'Heartbroken' British wife made to live apart from Chilean …

www.dailymail.co.uk/…/Adults-suffering-ephebiphobia–fear-young-people-worse-claims-expert.html

And this from Marcel Berlins on the Guardian's 'Comment is Free'

"A well-meaning Barnado's poll that reveals adults' fear of children could do more harm than good

"I fear that the words feral and vermin will stick, while the sentence 'Most children are good' will be forgotten". Wednesday 19 November 2008.

Marcel Berlins: A well-meaning Barnado's poll that reveals adults ..

A well-meaning Barnado's poll that reveals adults' fear of children could do more harm than good. I fear that the words feral and vermin will stick, …

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/…/youngpeople-children

BBC NEWS | UK | Education | Young 'resent negative images'

9 Jan 2009 … Teenagers complain that they are misrepresented by news stories that always give a negative impression of the young.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7820245.stm

BBC news online, 9 January 2009 on the report Media Portrayal of Young People – impact and influences. Young 'resent negative images'.

Young people are complaining about a diet of negative news media stories about them in a research project from the National Children's Bureau.

Positive sources.

There was a good report that discussed this issue by the Human Rights Joint Committee of Parliament. Report on Children's Rights, published 13 October 2009. I may have missed coverage of this in the media. The committee noted that "In its 2008 report, the UN Committee commented with concern on the 'general climate of intolerance and negative public attitudes towards children' in the UK" para. 32. (Reference to UN Committee on the Rights of the Child). There was some excellent evidence presented. There has also been excellent work done in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (much by the Children's Commissioners, as well as children's charities). The good work that very many young people do should be reported on (as it sometimes is locally) and most of all adults should let the vast majority of children and young people be children and young people and not assume they are up to no good if there is no evidence that they are.

This speech by Welsh First Minister Rhodri Morgan is worth reading:

'Adopting the right attitude to our nation's children and young people' Nov 20 2009 www.walesonline.co.uk

"During my 10 years as First Minister I have had the privilege of witnessing first-hand the positive achievements and contributions that children and young people have made in Wales and have enjoyed celebrating such achievements with them.

Unfortunately, despite their merit, many of these positive contributions go unmentioned and may be considered less newsworthy than the negative stories grabbing the headlines."

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/11/20/adopting-the-right-attitude-to-our-nation-s-children-and-young-people-91466-25210053/

Other sources:

The Philip Lawrence Awards promote good work being done by young people in their communities.

There's a good blog post on the Spirit of London Awards by Neil Woollcott, 28 November 2009.

Positive Images: Young People Now campaign wins backing from ministers

By Charlotte Goddard, 13 October 2004. http://www.cypnow.co.uk/

(and more recent work by 'Children & Young People Now').

"Positive Images", Young People Now's campaign to improve the portrayal of young people in the media. October 2004. Astoundingly this campaign was endorsed by two leading Labour Ministers, Tessa Jowell and Margaret Hodge. I say astounding as New Labour have done more than anyone to demonise young people and promote a culture of fear with their ratcheting up fear of crime and pandering to the media. There were the same positive quotes from a couple of ministers over the Catch-22 report recently. This may be hypocritical as much rhetoric and many sweeping Labour Government policies have had negative impact on young people. However hopefully there has been recently more of a move to rebalance this by also promoting the good work that young people do, often funded by Government, local government, police and other public bodies and the voluntary sector but usually relying on volunteers.

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