‘Yob’ press stories cause boys to be wary of fellow teenagers

Media stories about “yobs and hoodies” are the main reason why teenage boys are wary of other teenagers, according to research published today.

The study, commissioned by campaign group Women in Journalism, also found 85% of teenage boys believed that newspapers portrayed them in a bad light.

The research, including a poll of 1,000 teenage boys aged 13 to 19 and an analysis of national and regional press coverage of teenage boys, was unveiled at a conference today on the impact of media stereotyping on the group.

The study found that there were more stories about teenagers and crime than about teenagers and all other subjects put together in the past year.

And of stories on issues other than crime, few were positive. Only 24% of stories about teenagers and sport were positive about teenage boys and only 16% of entertainment stories were positive.

The poll revealed that 80% of teenage boys thought adults were more wary of them than they were a year ago.

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