UK teenagers are awful

It's not just that, though. That kind of behaviour has just become more normalised in England. We've always had unhappy and traumatised kids in the UK. But respect for authority or community, and worry about consequences, always held some of them back to some extent from antisocial behaviour. Those things have all gone in England now to some extent, so that those unhappy teenagers just act on impulse and don't give it a second tthought. And whereas someone who suggested setting fire to the roundabout or bin or something might have had someone in the group pull them back on the idea by appealing to their better conscious, all we have nowadays is the idea that it'll make it a cool video to send to their mates to get a laugh. So social media plays into it too.

The kind of teenagers who wreck parks are miserable individuals beneath the loud, brash behaviour amongst their mates. Normal happy teenagers who feel safe and contented in their lives don't behave like that - sure, they are often obnoxious in their own teenager kind of way by grunting at their parents, or wanting to be alone all the time at home, headphones on; or leave cups around the house; putting off doing homework; rolling their eyes at the request to tidy their room etc. But actual vandalism? Of children's facilities? No. I believe that's caused by jealousy and unhappiness. Happy and secure teenagers just move on from the play park stage and onto the next stage of their lives quite happily, and leave the happy memories behind them no issues because they know there's just more happiness and security to come. Unhappy and desperately insecure teenagers struggle with this transition from child to young adulthood because it's ofteh the time they feel least secure and most anxious about the future.

Those play parks when they were children made them forget their shitty home lives for a bit and gave them some happiness in their lives, even if they were at the park on their own/friends, without parents, or if their parent was off smoking a fag somewhere staring into their phone ignoring all pleas of "look at me, mum".

Playparks, and other similar fun childish things they are past the age for, or feel not a part of anymore, kick sad young people in the face every time they go past. For them, the anger at the loss becomes overwhelming and the only way they know to try to overcome that feeling is by destroying it.

The question I have is, why do we have so many unhappy and disaffected teenagers compared to other countries?

Most are lovely but I agree that there are an increasing number of entitled and feral kids who think they can do exactly what they want. They aren’t disciplined at home or at school and this is the consequence. I’m tired of hearing excuses about how they had it tough during Covid or that they have ACEs etc. As a teacher I’ve worked with loads of kids who have had some pretty tough lives but this doesn’t make them run around smashing up play areas. Teenagers are old enough to know right from wrong. The bullying and vandalism I’ve witnessed in schools over the past few years has been awful. If they get away with it there then this will naturally move to the community too.

You are completely unreasonable. Most of the teenagers we have known have been really great people.

So you live in a shithole area and have decided your shithole is standard across the UK? Parks are clean and safe where I am in the uk, teens are lovely too and I live in what’s classed as a deprived area

This with bells on.

I live in the US, and it is absolutely not done in the area where I live. Not only are no parks or playgrounds destroyed, you don't see graffiti because the town/ local admin has a power washer to wash off any that appears.

People who aren’t teenagers maybe?

Having lived in the uk and other countries (and knowing teens in both) I think the drinking culture and normalization of drinking in uk is unusual and doesn’t do the teens any favours!

@TheHateIsNotGood no problem- lol- I'm pretty good at passing exams too -- but can't rewire a house or cut hair to save my life!!

It may or may not be teens. Young peoole have nothing but worry ahead if them, their education has been poor, hindered by lockdowns and lack of engagement. Higher education means 50-70k of debt, with little chance of owning a property. Everything is so expensive it feels impossible to get anywhere in life. I'm speaking as a millennial here it was tough for me and will continue to be but wow, the next generation are really struggling, can we blame them for hitting out?

‘Maybe it's drunk ass adults smashing bottles in the park? Maybe, due to cuts to youth services, they are just bored and frustrated,’

Stop making excuses for them. It’s still unacceptable

Anyways, for those calling for a new National Service programme and for those that don't:

I do note that many of the [welcomed] Apprenticeship Schemes commencing September 2024 (next week!!) involve an initial 2 week Induction Training period that's carried out at Residential Centres miles from home.

I'm all for it and will be waving bon voyage to ds, but will be very watchful from as afar as I can be on the 'gist' of it all.

I think it's also to do with specific areas as pps have said. So affluent parts of Edinburgh don't compare to deprived areas of England for example.

On the flipside, 4 teenagers spent an hour teaching my 5 year old niece how to drop in on a skateboard ramp last week.

Teenagers aren't a homogenous mass any more than any other age group. I know a number of 80 year olds who are utter twats, doesn't mean all OAPs are.

I do know what you mean about the UK. It's got to be worse than a lot of places.

The countries I've lived in though have all been more or less equally bad for ASB in young people imo. I've lived in France, UK, NI, England, Scotland, USA. The worst was France tbh (I lived in the middle of Paris and there were a lot of badly behaved kids there) and the best was Scotland. England probably second worst, Ireland second best and USA somewhere in the middle...

I don't know why, but I always assume Germany has better behaved kids and people in general, but I've barely been there at all tbh, so it's a total guess based on what people say.

oops@Crikeyalmighty I do apologize.

Not sure what you are disagreeing with me on as I agree with you

@Crikeyalmighty - can't say why they do for sure but I'd hazard a guess they perceive UK educational qualifications as representing an high standard.

Meanwhile, for the many other schoolchildren of many cultures across the globe, in every place, there are many young people able to do the many more other things that need doing besides passing exams.

I'm rather good at passing exams myself but that certainly doesn't make me superior in any way. So who makes the stuff that we actually use and need?

Just stop shitting on our young people and give them something better to strive for otherwise you get what you're given.

I agree with you there. I don't live in the UK anymore but was surprised to hear from my friends over there; kids can't get a Saturday job anymore. It's not allowed. It's such a big part of growing up and keeping you busy at a vulnerable time. I just think it's such a mistake to not allow teenagers to have a part time job!

Some teens are absolutely fine, that are just teens… however there are some that go above and beyond to piss you off and make you wanna kill the little fuckers. I work in a retail shop in town, we have groups of teens daily, most we have no problems with, but every day there’s at least one group that come in cause chaos, abuse staff, and they know they can get away with it because when call the police they do fuck all. One even threw a drink on my colleague the other day for kicking them out as they were destroying the shop. So yeah some teens are absolutely vile.

There are a fair amount of feral parents raising equally feral children. Those parents are not on MN.

@FFSWherearemyglasses yep- I agree to a large extent-

Why do kids take education so seriously in 3rd world countries then?

Until there appears to be a future for all then teenagers will just go what's the point? there's no future for us all. Just for the people that fit the 'mould' and the rest can just be slaves.

Sound familiar? It is. UK Teens are some of the best people on Earth, I was one once.