Is that me on TV?
It’s the 21st century – a new era. It’s time for the younger generation to take over the world and show adults what we’re made of.
However, there isn’t much variety in TV’s portrayal of teenagers. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that images of teenagers are mostly stereotypical. And when programmes try and show less stereotypical teenagers, they don’t always get it right.

Older actors in their mid-20s frequently play the roles of teenagers, creating the false image that we are all spot-free, glamorous young adults. It doesn’t help anyone’s self-image to compare themselves to make-believe stars. However, the shows’ producers think that superstar actors help make ‘perfect teenagers’ and help make their programmes big hits. They show lack of interest in how real the teenagers really are.

In many programmes, teenagers lead easy and sometimes wild lifestyles where everyone has a new car and plenty of money to spend. In reality, we don’t always have enough change in our pockets to go and sit in a café or go shopping every day. But, because it’s television, the idealised lives of these teenagers appear far more interesting than ours.

The way teenagers are portrayed by adults on television can give us an insight into how our elders perceive us. On rare occasions, they can get it horribly wrong and make out that most teens are hooligans who steal and fight just to pass the time. Surprisingly, some of us are actually intelligent individuals, who are fully aware of the world and its fears. As hard as it may be to believe, young adults aren’t defenceless and incompetent. And we are certainly not naïve.

So, television companies who assume all young people are loud, unaware and full of hate for the world, take a note. We don’t all hate our parents and the whole world. Amazingly, we have the ability to come up with original concepts and turn those ideas into reality. I personally believe that my generation does have the ability to run the world properly after all, and show it what we’re made of.