Survey says teens fear attacks by other youths

London: Half of London teenagers are afraid of being attacked by other youths, a pioneering report by young people found on Friday.

Relations between adults and children are breaking down as the fear of violent gang culture spreads, the manifesto from teenagers warned.

Their report called for a radical new approach to tackling violence by using the "energy and creativity" of gangs to fight poverty and disadvantage.

The findings of the Young Citizen's Action Agenda for London have been presented to Mayor Boris Johnson, who promised to study the recommendations "with immense interest".

A panel of 16 to 18-year-olds drew up the report following a survey of more than 1,000 teenagers in a ground-breaking project backed by the Evening Standard.

The report comes amid heightened concern over youth violence in the capital, following a spate of teenage stabbings and shootings.

The poll found that 49 per cent of young Londoners "do not feel safe from people of their own age".

Just over half said they felt "like an outsider at least some of the time", while six out of 10 believed adults had a "negative opinion" of the younger generation.

But the teenagers who produced the study shared widespread public concern at gang violence in the capital.

"There is a powerful gang culture involving young people in many parts of London," their report also revealed.

"These gangs exist for a variety of reasons. We would like to see a pan-London initiative in areas where gangs exist to harness the energy, creativity and potential of these groups of young people," the report added.