Teenagers are unfairly represented by the media in Australia and the general public, therefore we as a society need to value teenagers more than they are.

Teenagers; Lazy, stupid, un-devoted, risk taking, disrespectful, selfish, immature, technology reliant, careless children. Does this sound right to you? Teenagers are a huge part of society, we are the middle class, the future and we deserved to be appreciated. So why are us teenagers being given such a raw deal? And how does the general public contribute to this? I am here today to represent to you the truth about ‘Teenagers’ or ‘young people,’ who are lost in the attack of the media. Society seems to be very closed minded when describing teenagers. We are not rewarded or celebrated for the good things we do but instead are portrayed as pregnant, drug abusing, binge drinking, violent, jobless juveniles who engage in underage sexual intercourse and don’t care about anything. Or else we are victimised as the hopeless future of the world we live in. Both are true, to some extent, but why stereotype teenagers in such a negative way when the majority of us are working hard to benefit the future and are working hard to please our parents and society. Where are OUR news headlines? Where is OUR acknowledgement? We’re not all bad, in fact majority of us do the right thing. It is a small minority or percentage of teens who are overshadowing the majority us who are making valuable contributions to our communities. Everyone makes mistakes, not adults apparently…Imagine a 30 year old man robbing a petrol station. Now imagine a teenage boy doing it. Which one would be targeted by the media? Why? Why does society discriminate us? For being a teenager? I think adults forget they were one once too. We are undermined because we are learning. We are undermined because we are young adults. We are undermined because WE are the next generation and WE are expected to achieve so highly yet we are still labelled as children who don’t know anything. And THAT is a problem.

I guess you could say the influence of the media could be blamed for the rebellious behaviour of some teenagers, but I am not here today to find someone to blame for the prejudice us teenagers are experiencing today, but am here to speak on behalf of you all to change the impression the media gives of us. The main points of teenagers that are warped into a lie are appearance and generalisation of actions. The media spreads the idea that just because some teens choose to get more piercings done, or a tattoo, or decide to get a different hair colour that it is somehow related to a dysfunctional sector of society. People have to realise that the adolescent/teenager portion of ones life is a time of self realisation and expression. Teens are just finding these things as outlets for emotion and expression. The media uses these things and utilises them in a sort of campaign to portray us as bad and untrusting. The fight for equality is continuing drastically year after year but i think they are forgetting the equality teenagers deserve against adults. It is unfair to stereotype a teenager on their appearance or on what bad actions a small amount of teenagers have done. The issue here is that for society “bad news is good news” in terms of making a profit and an impression. The media gives what society wants to see, a bed representation of teenagers and saying that, we are not only unjustified but are being attacked. 71% of youths are portrayed negatively by the media and that is far from discerning.

The bad representation not only effects us teenagers with job opportunities and trust etc, but families to. A couple of years ago, my family friends were unable to rent out a house due to a woman stereotypical view on teenagers. My friends parents were asked how many children they have and their ages. In response they said a 17 year old teenage boy, a 20 year old teenage boy and a 14 year old girl. The house owner refused to rent the house to them because the family consisted of 3 teenagers and in her opinion teenagers are prone to hosting parties and therefore they would wreck her house.

James Clarke, from WA. He, as a homosexual aboriginal has overcome challenges and now speaks out against prejudice to create a stronger, more informed society. He has participated in a range of community endeavours including reconciliation events and public speaking about climate and equality issues across Australia. James is only 17, and like you all, a teenager. This year James won 2014 WA Young Person of the Year due to his displayed outstanding leadership and valour in making a positive change to the community. He was also elected vice-captain of his school and has been an active contributor and high achiever in the Follow the Dream: Partnerships for Success program. And for that, I truly congratulate him for his enormous efforts. Where is James’s front page article?

Tylah Schmidt, from Queensland. Tyler suffered at the hands of bullying and has now committed to becoming a mentor to other young people about the effects of bullying in order to educate and inspire others. Tylah decided to turn her experiences into a positive and has produced a presentation which includes her life story and video clips about the effects of bullying and being judged. This presentation has received positive feedback from community groups and it will be further used to assist with the local community’s anti-bullying campaign. Tylah is only 14, once again, like you, a teenager. She won the Personal Courage Award for the 2014 National Youth Awards and was the youngest finalist out of 25 youth contenders. I also truly congratulate Tylah, but where are her news headlines?

Jonathan Brown, 18, from Victoria. Thats right, another teenager. Jonathan’s achievement really stood out to me because it showed we have very similar views and aspirations. Jonathan won the Creating Pathways Award by displaying himself as a young leader who gives young Australians access to media platforms to help change the way they are represented in the media. Since being appointed as SYN Media’s Education and Training Manager in 2011 and through his work in a training capacity at Radio Adelaide, he has excelled at supporting other young people to pursue further education and training opportunities. Jonathan has led a number of highly successful projects providing media training programmes to young people from a wide range of under-represented backgrounds. This work has helped participants build their confidence, literacy, teamwork and communication skills and has impacted thousands of young Australians each year. I’d like to congratulate him as well, but it angers me to see that all the wonderful things Jonathan and the others do are not praised enough, let alone at all by the media

What if positive stories about youths were portrayed in the media more frequently? As a young Australian, I believe that the media often inaccurately portrays us in a negative light. The unbalanced reporting reflects us poorly when there are so many things we have to offer. A study by the Service to Youth Council found that seven out of ten articles written in Australia about youth are negative. The media is a powerful social influencer and maybe, if more teenagers were given the opportunity to be displayed positively and demonstrate their achievements peoples views would change.

Teenagers? Lazy? Maybe slightly but that doesn't mean we don’t work hard. Majority of us are attending school to benefit the future. All the studying we do, all the tests, exams, hard work we put in is not for nothing. Its so that we can get successful jobs, support a family of our own and make the world a better place. How are we going to do this without the support that is needed? Unless you are motivated to strive hard even when you’re put down it is very hard to achieve good results when the rest of the world is dreading the future to be held in the hands of us teenagers. Even students who drop out of school are trying to do the same thing. But they are put down twice as much. 1. Because kids who drop out are stereotypically trouble and stupid and 2. Because also hold the future in their hands. These teens should not be put down just because high school schooling wasn't for them. Usually students who drop out are also working hard to benefit the future through TAFE and apprenticeships. It doesn't make them less smart than the rest, intact it makes them just as smart for doing something with their life when they know they won’t succeed at something rather than wasting their time.

A vast majority of teenagers have part time jobs, sometimes even two. This shows that we are not all lazy, by doing this we are motivated and are wanting to live independent life styles. Some students even work hard to pay off schooling fees, save up for their own car or own home. Not only do we balance school and work, but sporting commitments too which contribute to the community. Teenagers? More like young adults.

Teenagers are not the only ones ever to be caught relieving themselves on the street. There are plenty of adults who go out and get drunk on a Friday night. I don’t see why teenagers should be blamed for all drunken conduct and vandalism. There are certainly a percentage that are exactly as the media portrays them, however, these numbers are much less than most people think. Referring back to my introduction where i mentioned the man and the boy robbing a petrol station, that was to contrast the unfairness of the media and society between teenagers and adults. You could say adults are more mature than teenagers, which in some aspects they are. However; i do not see how an adult committing a crime should not be just as scandalised as a teenager. After all, adults are meant to be the mature ones right? In reality, adults should know better since we’re just kids after all.

I hope that the views of teenagers can gradually be changed dramatically over time in the most positive of ways because i believe we as a generation are the most creative, open-minded, most accepting group people you will ever come across. And for that we need to be celebrated and honoured in society, not looked down upon. Most of us have good intentions we just haven't been given the chance to show them.

Lazy, stupid, un-devoted, risk taking, disrespectful, selfish, immature, technology crazed, careless children. No. Motivated, intelligent, devoted, courageous, respectful, generous, mature, technology smart, attentive young adults. Thank you