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Up until the late fifties you were either labelled a child or an adult - there was no in-between. But the sixties saw the rise of someone in between - the teenager.

Teenagers dancing the Loddy Lo in 1963.

Teenagers were becoming more and more independent. In the way they lived, in their ideas, how they acted, the language they used and the music they listened to. Not to mention the clothes they wore. It was a very exciting time to be young. But these things made teenagers different and these differences often led to misunderstandings and arguments with the older generations.

Teenagers at a youthclub.

Because of their appearance and different attitudes, young people were often blamed for many problems. There was a big fear of youth crime. Young people hanging around in groups, whether they were Mods, Rockers or whatever, were seen as being 'up to no good'. The truth was normally that they just had nothing else to do. Just like today. They were seen as selfish, discourteous and lacking in respect and the media painted a negative picture of them. Again, just like today!

In the sixties corporal punishment was legal - hitting children was still an everyday part of life. This meant that if someone thought you were up to no good then they might give you a "skelp" around the ear before taking you home to get "a hammering" from your mum, dad or both!