British teens behave the worst, think tank says

British teenagers are the among most badly behaved in Europe, says a U.K. think tank that compared the behaviour of young people in Britain with their counterparts in other countries.

A report to be published next week by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) indicates that more British 15-year-olds get drunk, get into fights, and have sex compared with their peers in France, Germany and Italy. The institute examined a number of studies for the report.

"We see higher levels of drinking, higher levels of drug abuse (and) admittedly higher levels of promiscuity," IPPR researcher Sonia Sodha told CTV News.

One study from 2003, the IPPR said, indicated that 38 per cent of 15-year-old Britons had smoked marijuana, compared with 27 per cent in Germany and seven per cent in Sweden.

Another study from that year said that 15-year-olds in Denmark and Ireland were the only groups studied who engaged in binge drinking more often than British teens.

Binge drinking, along with Britain's "drink till you drop" culture, is often blamed for eroding values. Now, researchers are looking at how teens interact with their families in Britain.

Researchers said the differences can be explained by a collapse in family and community life.

The IPPR researchers uncovered a striking statistic: In England, 45 per cent of 15-year-old boys spend most evenings out with friends. In Scotland, the number is 59 per cent.

But in France, just 17 per cent of teenagers go out with their friends at night.

In addition, researchers noted, 93 per cent of teenagers in Italy regularly eat with their families. That compares with 64 per cent of teens in the U.K. who eat meals at home. In France, 89 per cent ate at home while 87 per cent of Belgian teens and 87 per cent of Spanish teens did.

Only Finnish teenagers, with 59 per cent, and American teenagers, at 62 per cent, frequented the family dinner table less often than British teens.

Researchers believe that a decrease in interaction with adults has left British teens unsupervised and adrift.

"We're increasingly seeing in the U.K. a phenomenon where young people are socializing with other young people, rather than adults socializing with young people," Sodha said. "A sort of 'Lord of the Flies' phenomenon."

Police in Britain have tried to control troublesome teens through an anti-social behavior order, known as the ASBO, which includes banning them from some areas and posting photos of those who have caused problems on public "walls of shame."

But another study has concluded that many teens consider earning ASBO attention a badge of honour.

"Half of all ASBOs are breached," said Nick Herbert, MP for Arundel & South Downs. "And when they are breached, very few, indeed, lead to a custodial sentence."

"Britons often debate how to deal with young offenders," CTV's Tom Kennedy reported from London.

"But there are signs the debate is shifting now to one of family values, with politicians often asking if we are we raising children properly. And it's hardly surprising. Nothing focuses a nation's attention quite like being told 'your teens are the worst.'"

CTV