In UK adults are afraid of teen population

Britain is in danger of becoming a nation fearful of its young people, according to a new study.





Research by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), to be published next month, shows that British adults are less likely than those in other European countries to intervene to stop teenagers committing anti-social behaviour.



200-page report says 65% of Germans, 52% of Spanish and 50% of Italians would be willing to intervene if they saw a group of 14-year-old boys vandalising a bus shelter, compared to just 34% of Britons.



Reasons Britons feared getting involved included being physically attacked, fear of reprisals and being verbally abused.

Run, teens are coming

IPPR director Nick Pearce said: "These days, adults tend to turn a blind eye or cross over on the other side of the road rather than intervene in the discipline of another person's child, often because they fear they might be attacked."