Teenage delinquency

According to a report by the think-tank the Institute for Public Policy Research, UK teenagers are among the most badly behaved in Europe.

British youth are in a poor way. They are on the verge of mental breakdown, at risk from anti-social behaviour, self-harm, drug and alcohol abuse. One in ten teenage girls has self-harmed. And kids hanging around is considered one of the greatest social nuisances.

Statistically, children brought up by two married, biological parents do better than those from single-parent families or people cohabiting. With the rise in divorce, single-parent households and working parents, connections between the generations are weakened and children are increasingly left to their own devices. Children lack a sense of identity that is provided by family and wider community, and with it self-esteem and direction in life.

The most important thing in human life is the quality of our relationships, and without deep, secure relationships, we are left with an unfulfilled longing and heightened risk of mental disease. We attempt to fill that gap with other things, such as drugs or alcohol to give us a buzz, or things to entertain and distract us (see my post on debt), or the hope of intimacy and excitement through sex. But all of these things, without good, deep relationships, are ultimately unsatisfying.

Delinquency is the all too evident symptom of a deep underlying malaise: the lack of committed, loving relationships that demand an investment of time and effort. It is that which our teenagers need, not Playstations, Reeboks and condoms.