Britain has become more friendly to children but our friendship apparently still lasts only until they reach puberty. Of course it’s nothing new to hear that teenagers feel misunderstood by adults and demonised by the media. Indeed in some respects things are improving for teenagers. The government has invested heavily in services for young people, and introduced changes, including those to the youth justice system, which have had at their heart the welfare of vulnerable teens. Unfortunately these positive policies are now being overshadowed by other priorities which are in danger of increasing young people’s sense of alienation, and reinforcing popular hostility to adolescents. Banning young people from meeting in public places as the Antisocial Behaviour Bill will do is reminiscent of the worst sort of political repression. The implication is that teenagers are by definition dangerous, and one likely consequence is that young people will lose respect for the law. How do you explain to a 13 year old that they may be stopped by the police and challenged for walking along the street with a friend, or meeting up with classmates in the park on a summer afternoon. The children’s organisations who are campaigning against this shocking measure deserve full support.
The latest research on how adolescent brains develop can perhaps bring us new insights into why the early teenage years can be such a turbulent time. Biology is unlikely to be the only factor in adolescent behaviour, but if these discoveries allow us to stop wringing our hands so much, they might contribute to a more relaxed and understanding attitude to our young people. A teen-friendly society may be too much to hope for, but less teen-phobic would do for now.
