The youth of today

The UK's youth needs better PR, according to children's charity Barnardo's. Are we becoming a society driven by paranoia, or are we right to fear badly behaved teenagers?

Teenagers are 'feral' and dangerous according to nearly half the respondents of a YouGov survey commissioned by Barnardo's.

The survey results have been released alongside a video made by Barnardo's which depicts men on the hunt for vermin using dialogue taken from real life, including quotes such as 'to hell with their human rights' and 'shoot a few and if that doesn't work shoot a few more'. The vermin, it transpires, are a group of teenagers.

The Barnardo's campaign hopes to challenge the increasingly negative way in which young people are viewed by the general public.

Youth crime is always a favourite topic in the tabloids, where hoodies have become synonymous with menacing intent, and Asbos being handed out in their thousands annually. But does this reflect a real change in antisocial behaviour of teenagers, or are they just getting a bad press?

Do you cross the road if you encounter a gang of teenagers in the street? Do you feel intimidated by groups of young people on the bus? Perhaps you've felt guilty for misjudging a perfectly innocent situation, or you think most of the problems stem from bad handling.

Positive or negative, we'd like to hear your experiences of the youth generation.