Where's Your Lad?

1976
Silent
2m

... is he out with his hooligan mates smashing up the town? A warning to parents of teenage boys

Teenage boys: scourge of 70s Britain. This characteristically alarmist mid-70s public information film highlights the contemporary moral panic around juvenile delinquency - in this case, vandalism. A longer version was released at the same time, though its impact is arguably undermined by its choice of Joe Brown and the Bruvvers' chirpy 1963 hit 'What a Crazy World We're Living In' as a soundtrack.

The Kids Are Alright: Youth Culture on Screen

Teds, mods, rockers, punks, goths, ravers, hoodies, emos... The 20th Century phenomenon of ‘youth culture’ is a dynamic expression of identity, with its hands on music, fashion, language and generational change.

Since the ‘rowdy generation’ of the 1950s, teenagers and youth culture have been defined from the outside and from within. Young people proclaim their social identity through style, music and the spaces they occupy – which also makes them a visible target, and they become a bellwether (or scapegoat) for the state of the nation.

To the establishment, they are a source of anthropological curiosity and hand-wringing moral panic – as well as a key commercial audience, whether for consumer products, political movements or radio and television programming. An obsession with youth against mistrust and misunderstanding; attitudes towards the young are full of contradictions.

Today, youth culture is online, in a vast expanse of communities and identities. The internet has enabled a ‘pick n mix’ approach to music and fashion, while allowing local scenes to set trends globally, and giving young voices the platform to speak – loudly – for themselves.