'''When I used to go to a restaurant they'd talk to you - then I turned 12 and all of a sudden they wouldn't. It felt so cold'' says Victoria.

So in news terms, young people are either engaged in criminality, being murdered or appearing in a VIP area. They might make occasional forays into binge drinking and obesity. Thug, hoodie, lout, yob - one of many bywords for 'teenager'

Another report from the British Youth Council showed a similar picture for newspapers - with four times as many stories likely to show youngsters in a negative context.

The author and social commentator, Frank Furedi, sees this anxiety-ridden depiction of teenagers as a sign of deeper fault lines in society.

Generation apart

Without any communication between the generations, adults become fearful and distant towards the youngsters hanging around, he says.

In return, young people grow up starved of the influence of adults.

BBC News magazine news.bbc.co.uk