Nearly half of British public think children are becoming 'feral'

Published by Ross Macmillan for 24dash.com in Education and also in Central Government, Housing, Local Government

Nearly half the UK population agrees that children are becoming “feral”, a new poll reveals.

Leading children's charity Barnardo’s has warned that many people are at risk of giving up on children altogether as 49 per cent of people interviewed agreed that children were now behaving like animals.

ICM Research - which interviewed 2,100 people - reveals that parts of the public hold a negative view of all children, despite the majority being “well behaved, attending school, taking part in activities and a significant number contributing to their communities and volunteering”.

The findings showed that 44 per cent of people agreed that children in the country are "becoming feral". Nearly half (47 per cent) agree that the trouble with youngsters is that they are “angry, violent and abusive”.

One in four people believe that children who behave badly or anti-socially are beyond help by the age of 10. More people disagreed with the statement that children who get into trouble are in need of help (38 per cent) than agreed (36 per cent).

Barnardo’s chief executive Anne Marie Carrie said: “It is depressing that so many people are ready to give up on children, writing them off as ‘animals’ and ‘feral’.  What hope is there for childhood in the UK today if this is how adults think? We seem to have forgotten the fact that most children are well behaved and instead we are unquestionably accepting a stereotype of young people as criminal and revolting.

“We aren’t asking people to put up with yobbish behaviour, but we do need to change our attitudes towards troubled children.  The small minority of children who come across as angry and abusive have sadly often been scarred by their upbringing.  But it’s never too late to believe in children and change their life story – it doesn’t have to end how it began.”

The results of the survey have come to light as Barnardo’s is preparing to launch a new campaign entitled ‘Life Story’. It will aim to demonstrate the “journey that many troubled children go through, and the impact that believing in a child can have in turning their life around”.

Barnardo’s argues that the difficult behaviour of those in contact with the youth justice system must be tackled more effectively. Previous research conducted by the charity revealed that:

• 60 per cent have significant speech, language or communication difficulties;
• two out of five girls and one out of four boys in custody have experienced violence at home;
• more than a quarter of young men (27 per cent) and more than half of young women (55 per cent) spent some time in local authority care.

The Government this week announced plans to introduce a comprehensive housing resettlement scheme for gang members and their families as part of its new strategy to tackle gang violence.