Remembering back to the mid 80's when I was a 15/16/17 year old, I would certainly like to hang out with my mates as much as I possbly could.

I think my curfew was before dark when 15, then when I left school at 16 and started working and paying rent I could stay out until whenever.

The choices of what one could do with ones friends during the evening though could be quite limited, normally revolving around saving any money I had for the weekend and then visiting a pub in which we had figured you could get away with being served in.

Around 15/16 we were in the park with a big bottle of Woodpecker being handed around, (before the arrival of "alco-pops").

Looking now, I can understand why people might find this anti-social, but from my perspective at the time, it was very much about being pro-social with my friends.

Unfortunately the British love of social boozing is imprinted on us from a young age and from what I see of kids on the streets and my own experience, as soon as you can find a shopkeeper who will serve the oldest looking of your group of friends or you find a pub where they don't stringently check for age, then that's what you will be doing.

With limited funds/employement or expensive education, what else are 16/17 years old meant to do?

I certainly recall hate being told what to do at that age, but not actually looking for trouble. I was just wanting to "hang" with my mates.

I wouldn't want these kids hanging about boozing on my wall either, but it seems path of the course for groups of kids to hang about and to wander about our streets until they can legally socialise in the acceptable sociable establishments that are pubs.

Unfortunately kids of this age will be shunned from pillar to post because nobody really wants them hanging about near their property, shops or parks.

I was watching outside my front window on Sunday and lots of kids from out street were cycling up and down and skateboarding and it felt good. The sun was out, the street is pretty quiet and there are lots of families living in the area. Then somehow there comes a point a few years later we don't see them as cute kids playing anymore and we're supposed to fear them or shun them.

It could drive you to drink.

15/16/17 year olds want to hang about with their friends, but because either a) the Government can't afford to provide social activities or b) The private sector can't make any money out of them, they will continue to socialise as pariahs for those excluded couple of years.

An argument could be made for them to play sports, but usually a kick about in the park would only emege in the summer. Plus with post code territorial disputes who know how limited things may be for venturing to parks ort other area etc.

I'd imagine this kind of problem has existed in some shape or form since the emergence of the teenager in the 50's and without some radical change in western philosophy, kids will continue gather where they are not wanted into the future.