Reasons why the reputation of teenagers is not deserved

1. Only a small percentage of teenagers cause trouble

1.1. The whole group is "tarred with the same brush"

2. Many teenagers do voluntary work

3. Teenagers are the future of the country

3.1. They need encouragement, not condemnation

4. Every generation has a right to define itself

4.1. The fashions, language, music and culture of EVERY generation is different

4.2. Teenagers should not be judged because they live in a different culture to their elders

5. They often help their elders

5.1. But it's not reported

5.2. Most teenagers do as they are told and carry out all sorts of activities in the home, in school and in the wider community

6. Teenagers lack places to go

6.1. Naturally, they congregate where they can

6.2. Every group in society tries to gather together

6.2.1. Why are teenagers not givena space to be themselves?

7. The papers "sensationalise" bad stories

7.1. This is how they make money

7.2. They rarely print stories of good behaviour because they are not "sensational"

8. Teenagers are not in positions of authority

8.1. They cannot control the press they receive

8.2. They are patronised

8.3. If we genuinely want to understand one another, teenagers must be involved in the government of their own lives