Our teenagers need a government to offer them hope

Being young in this country is tough right now and this Government is making it harder. Parents want a country that gives their children the chance to make their way in the world. But the odds are now stacked against young people to get the things that give life value and the chances to make more of themselves. Removing EMA, undermining vocational education and trebling tuition fees have put barriers in their paths and denied young people the access to learning and skills that help shape happier and more rounded lives.

It doesn’t end there: young people can no longer claim housing benefit, youth unemployment remains unacceptably high, home ownership – or even renting – has become so unaffordable many young people can’t imagine ever living independently. The chances to get on in life that were afforded to my generation have been denied to the next.

For our country to recover its confidence our next generation must have the means to play their part. Right now they risk being abandoned. The ONS reports that one in ten UK children has a clinically diagnosed mental health disorder and the UK’s young people are ranked amongst the unhappiest in the world by the UN.

These devastating statistics on wellbeing are made worse by pressure on youngsters to own the latest consumer accessory and have the right body shape which has led to a sharp increase in self-harm, bulimia and steroid abuse. We cannot allow an aggressive consumer culture to consume our children’s futures. Too many young people are becoming more insular and sedentary, sitting alone in front of a TV, games console or computer screen where the dangers of the unsupervised virtual world are far greater than they might face outside in the real world.   Economic impacts on family incomes can lead to parents spending less time with children while fear of crime can lead to fear of children socialising outside the home.

Young people tell us they want more time with their family, more time with friends, more time outdoors. They hope for a successful future with a good job and a family of their own, but public policy is driving us in the opposite direction. The young face their future with fear rather than the hope that should be theirs.

How can a Labour government make a difference?

Relationships matter. We need to nurture them. The Tories have become the party of family breakdown by pushing parents to breaking point through working longer hours for less pay. Labour must speak for the family. A senior minister, accountable to teenagers through the Youth Parliament, could take responsibility for reviewing all policy right across government for its impact on children and family life.

While we need to focus on work and the economy we cannot do so at the expense of our children and the family in all its modern forms. Parents need more rights to flexible working so they can spend more time with their children, more affordable childcare, and end to the Tory zero-hours culture that means families no longer have the certainty of a secure income.

Young people themselves need better support for critical decisions that will affect their future lives. For that reason we need to reintroduce universally high quality careers guidance to help young people choose subjects most likely to lead to a job and a fulfilling life, and we need to place greater value on vocational courses that lead to high quality jobs alongside the more traditional academic subjects.

Education is immensely important but teenagers spend 80% of their time outside school and we need to help them make the most of that time too. While I was leading Lambeth Council we set up an innovative youth services trust, the Young Lambeth Cooperative. With an annual budget of £3m it is owned and run by the community and gives young people a direct say over the kind of services, activities and support they want individually tailored for their neighbourhood. Crucially, half of its board is made up of young people themselves. Instead of forcing young people to fit into politics on our terms, handing them more power means they can explore new ideas that have meaning for them. The internet is an important way for young people to network with each other. We need to harness their interest to increase young people’s participation in decision-making on their own terms.

The period of transition from childhood to adulthood, of moving towards the independence of adulthood, is an exhilarating time. But in policy terms, teenagers are the forgotten generation. The people best equipped to understand the pressures on teenagers are young people themselves. Speak to them and they will tell you what support they need, but they lack the power to make it happen. Our task is to find new ways to involve teenagers in the decisions that affect them, help them to enjoy the excitement and adventure of growing up. We mustn’t forget our teenagers need a government to offer them hope too.

Steve Reed is the Labour and Co-operative MP for Croydon North and is Shadow Home Office Minister