Re-thinking Negative Perceptions of Young People

Youth Media Agency

Working as a PR Manager at Vinspired allows me to highlight the achievements of young people across the country. Despite the privilege of sharing these inspiring stories, it often seems like an uphill battle.

Recently, we announced the finalists for the Vinspired National Awards. While reaching out to local media with stories of resilience and boundless energy, I was struck by a reporter’s comment: “It’s nice to hear about a young person who’s doing something good.”

Spreading Positivity

Journalists often focus on negative narratives involving young people, such as ASBOs and riots. Positive stories are rare, not because of a lack of effort to spread good news but due to the media’s focus on sensationalism to boost circulation.

For example, research shows that terms like ‘yob’ are frequently used to describe teen boys in the media. This portrayal is misleading and unfair.

Advocating for Fair Media Representation

Vinspired, alongside 55 other youth groups, supports a submission to the Leveson Inquiry by the Youth Media Agency. We advocate for balanced media portrayals of young people.

Key recommendations include:

Including ‘age’ as a classification for discrimination in media codes, similar to the NUJ Code of Conduct.
Adding a clause to the Editors Code to avoid negative generalizations about children and young people.
Making the Press Complaints Commission more accessible to youth with a user-friendly interface.
Ensuring the PCC has staff trained to handle youth complaints sensitively.

We don’t claim that every story about young people should be positive, but rather reflective of reality—most are decent, some are exceptional, and a few might err.

Our survey asked young people: “How do you think young people are portrayed in the media?” Their responses highlighted the need for change.

For more insights on the media portrayal of youth, check out our related articles: