What would a society made up only of teenagers look like? In William Golding's 1954 novel Lord of the Flies, a group of teenage boys is stranded on an island. Soon they have turned to violence and greed, and are living in terror of an imagined beast.

Such books present teenagers as irrationalNot thought through or nonsensical. and impulsiveActing without thinking much about it. , but this may be unfair. A new survey has asked 2,000 teenagers about their biggest concerns and the results are now out.

Of the 2,000 people aged 13-18 who took part in the survey, nearly half (46%) said that they were worried about knife crime in their local area.

The poll also showed a growing resistance to the internet and social media.

There is a view that teenagers do not care about politics. But the biggest political protest movements of the last few years have been headed by young people, from school strikes for the climate to Black Lives Matter. 

Politicians have no reason to represent teenagers, teenagers claim, because most teenagers cannot vote. Power starts in the ballot box.

William Golding might not approve, but we should perhaps start believing in the ability of young people to build a better society.

Is there a solution?

Yes! There is only one way for teenagers to feel heard, and that is for them all to have the right to vote.

No! The issues highlighted by young people in this survey are real, but most of the solutions supported by the respondents are entirely impractical, such as banning smartphones.