At the time of writing this article, I am 24 years of age. I have been through alot in my life, most of it falling within the last 5 years of my lifespan. I have never taken drugs in my life, never smoked a cigarette and never been drunk. I lost my virginity at the age of 20 and have had a relatively low number of sexual partners.

Looking around the world today I see a youth that has far surpassed anything I have ever done in my life by the time they are hitting their mid teens. I have met 13 year old girls whose ambition was to be pregnant by the time they were 16. Boys of 14 who are obilerated on a cocktail of drink and drugs. My local town centre is rife with petty vandalism and crime from these very same teens.

I look back at my early teenage years and smile at playing games in the park with my friends, collecting various sticker albums and trading cards and losing myself in various harmless hobbies.

Now all I see around me is an age of lost innocence. Children entering into an adult world they are by no means prepared for, both mentally and physically. Maybe I am looking back on my youth with rose tinted glasses or maybe I am living in an area that doesn't mirror national trends. However, I am fearful that neither of these statements are true, and that true innocence has been lost.