[Aliantha]

The idea of hanging about on the street is a bit odd to me. I know teenagers like to congregate, but - at least in my experience myself and with my kids - they'll usually do it at someone's house, or at a sporting event. Occasionally they'll take themselves down to the shops to feed their faces, but other than that, you don't generally see groups of kids just hanging around 'making a nuisance of themselves'.

I think the fact that this is seen as the norm in the UK points to a bigger social issue really if the kids don't feel happy and better off to be hanging about at their own homes or the homes of friends.

I'm not saying we don't have social issues here, just that the idea of just hanging about aimlessly is a problem I think. Boredom leading to trouble is the most likely outcome from what I can see.