What the media say about youth – and its impact

What the media say about young people is important, it both influences and reflects public attitudes. When young people and those around them are subjected to negative messaging, it can affect how they view themselves and how they are treated. A negative internalised sense of self can have repercussions in terms of the way young people socialise, learn and their ambitions for their lives.

This is why Nacro commissioned research into how young people are reported on in the media and conducted a survey which asked disadvantaged young people about their lives, hopes and worries.

What we found a significant gap between what the media says about young people and what they say about themselves. 

Communication breakdown

Over the past year in the mainstream media, coverage of young people was twice as likely to be negative than positive. The research found common themes in the way young people are portrayed in the media, labelling them as lazy, weak, selfish and dangerous.

It also revealed that although young people were written about frequently, they were rarely given the right to reply. Only 21 per cent of the articles reviewed actually included a young person’s perspective. 

By perpetuating a reductive and monolithic idea of young people and failing to include their voices in the mainstream, media portrayals deny the public a deeper understanding of the very real issues confronting young people today. 

One of the most revealing findings from the research showed that young people held a negative perception of the police. Our survey found that 65 per cent didn’t trust the police, instead feeling stereotyped and judged by them. This is despite 22 per cent of young people reporting having been a victim of crime themselves.

It’s little surprise, then, that the young people we spoke to also had fears about personal safety. They worried about being a victim of crime and many made their lives smaller in order to feel safer – staying in more and avoiding certain areas or people. This was especially prevalent for the young women we interviewed.

This negativity cannot but play out in our schools

This negativity, stereotyping and misunderstanding between young people and adults in society is something many of us in education are used to. It cannot but play out in our schools.

Educators have an important role in bridging the gap between young people and their communities. Restorative practices and inclusive environments can help to encourage young people to share their perspectives and build mutual respect, serving young people well in their educational journeys and beyond.

But in truth it is an uphill battle, when so many external influences act as an opposing force. 

Mental health impact

And this opposing force is feeding into the mental health crisis which every school is experiencing, because young people are internalising these negative messages. Our report found high levels of hopelessness, low self-esteem and loneliness among disadvantaged young people. They are really struggling.

Over a quarter (27 per cent) said they usually or always feel lonely, and nearly a quarter (24 per cent) said they rarely or never feel good about themselves.

Worse, perhaps, only one in five (20 per cent) thought that their generation would have a better life than the previous one, while 70 per cent are seldom or never hopeful for the future.

We also found that nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) feel people who run the country never or rarely listen to them or to people living a similar life to them. Over two-thirds (69 per cent) also say politicians never or rarely talk about things that matter to them.

As educators, we know the tools to combat this: recognising and celebrating incremental achievements, listening to young people and building their sense of agency in the classroom, school and local community.

In many schools, trauma-informed practices are also used judiciously to rebuild trust and help students overcome the effects of exclusion or disadvantage.  

Schools, in sum, are key places where young people can know they are understood, trusted and believed in. And time and again, young people who have faced significant disadvantages do overcome barriers as a result of that support.

Sadly, it is too often against the odds stacked against them and reinforced by a slew of negative stereotypes being projected upon them in the wider world.

Read the full report, ‘The truth about youth‘ here