When you turn on UK television these days and see young people on screen — what do you really see? Are we seeing our full selves? Or just the bits they think will grab attention, sell drama, or tick a diversity box?
From Top Boy to Waterloo Road, Phoenix Rise to Ackley Bridge, and even long-runners like EastEnders and Hollyoaks — young characters are everywhere. But behind the scripted chaos, a real question is brewing: is British broadcasting doing justice to the youth it claims to represent?
Let’s be real. For young people growing up in the UK — especially from multicultural, working-class, or underrepresented communities — the way you’re seen on TV can shape how the rest of the country sees you… and sometimes even how you see yourself.
So let’s break it down.
The Good: Stories That Hit Home
Let’s start with some credit where it’s due. Shows like Top Boy — despite its controversy — gave viewers a gritty, unfiltered look at life in London estates. While some critics called it glorified gang culture, others saw truth: how poverty, lack of opportunity, and systemic racism can lead to real consequences. It wasn’t about excuses. It was about context. And sometimes, that’s the difference between judgment and understanding.
Shows like Ackley Bridge, Waterloo Road, and newer gems like Phoenix Rise have also brought more realistic school life to the forefront — tackling everything from racism and bullying to mental health and teen pregnancy. These aren’t sugar-coated teen dramas; they reflect the challenges that many young people actually face, especially in multicultural communities.
Ackley Bridge, in particular, stood out for its unapologetic representation of British-Pakistani and British-Asian youth — finally giving space to voices that had long been overlooked in mainstream media.
So yeah, there’s progress. But is it enough?
The Bad: Same Struggles, Different Channel
Here’s the problem: UK television often still boxes young people into tired tropes — the troubled teen, the angry Black boy, the “chav,” the dropout, the girl from the estate who gets pregnant. If you’re not a stereotype, you’re often invisible.
Even long-running soaps like EastEnders and Hollyoaks, which do cover youth stories, often stick to extremes — drugs, stabbings, revenge plots. It’s high drama, low nuance.
Now don’t get it twisted. These issues are real. Knife crime? Real. Teen mental health crises? Real. But when every young character seems to be fighting for survival, where are the wins? Where are the quiet victories, the creative dreams, the awkward laughs, the “I don’t know who I am yet” journeys that actually reflect the teenage experience?
Because the truth is: not every teen is in a gang. Not every young woman is either hypersexual or hypervulnerable. And not every working-class kid is angry at the world.
Media Representation = Real World Impact
Why does this matter? Because what we watch influences how society treats young people in real life.
When the media only shows one side of youth — usually the chaotic or criminal — it makes it easier for adults, employers, even politicians to write them off. It feeds into the “lazy, entitled generation” narrative that so many young people are already fighting against in job markets, education, and social spaces.
Young people are out here building businesses on TikTok, leading mental health campaigns on Instagram, launching side hustles, caring for family, dealing with real-life pressures… but you’d barely know it from watching telly on a Tuesday night.
The Missed Opportunity
TV has the power to shape culture — and young people are the culture right now. They’re driving fashion, music, tech, slang, and social change. So why aren’t they at the creative table?
We need more young writers in writers’ rooms. More young actors playing more than just one-dimensional parts. More young producers, directors, costume designers, and consultants — because nobody knows what it’s like to be 17 in the UK better than the people actually living it.
Phoenix Rise took a step in the right direction by hiring young, lesser-known talent and filming in Coventry — a city rarely seen on screen. That’s the blueprint. Now do it across the board.
The Solution: Balance
Look, we’re not saying stop showing the hard stuff. Life is complex, and good drama reflects that. But balance it out. Show the joy, the ambition, the humour, the friendships, and the wins alongside the struggles.
Give us a young Black coder from Brixton. A second-gen Caribbean girl figuring out uni and family pressure. A neurodivergent teen who’s not just the quirky sidekick. A boy from a council estate who makes music but doesn’t sell drugs. A South Asian kid into K-pop and not medicine.
Make it real — because we are real.
Final Word
UK TV has made strides. But young people need more than cameos. They need consistent, complex, honest storytelling that reflects who they are — not just who the media thinks they are.
Until we see that, the question remains: are we being seen or just being used?
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