youth culture

A video clip released by the French electro group Justice has caused controversy in the country for its aesthetic depiction of street violence. Attacking women, beating up old ladies and glassing bar-owners is all part of the glamorous storyline. If they were looking for attention - they got it. Read more and see the video...

The contributors

GTA IV Trailer © Rockstar Games

A computer game that contains blood, violence, sex, drugs and alcohol has sold more copies in its first day than any other in history. But not everybody is a fan of Grand Theft Auto IV. Available for children of any age in the US, critics warn that the game could lead to youth violence. Its fans, however, don't agree. Read more...

The contributors

Iran's top prosecutor Ghorban Ali Dori Najafabadi called for a crackdown on imports of western toys Monday, in particular Barbie dolls, saying that her curvy figure, which continues to find its way into the country, is threatening the country's Islamic culture and revolutionary values. Read more...

The contributors

Since blogger Xu Alun released this documentary on February 10, it's had over half a million hits. It tells the story of three homeless orphans working as coal-haulers in a southern city of China. According to our Observer in Hong Kong, a specialist in social problems in China, this is just one example of millions of "left-behind children" in the country. Read more...

The contributors

There’s nothing new about "extreme driving" in Saudi Arabia. Only now, the whole world can admire Saudi drivers’ exploits on YouTube. Young people in the kingdom are literally bored to death. Our Observers' comments on the phenomenon, along with a few videos…

A montage of reckless performances by Saudi drivers. Posted on Liveleak 27 Feb. 08

The contributors

Russian tabloid Express Gazeta organized a drawing competition all across Russia to support President Valdimir Putin's successor, Dmitry Medvedev. These drawings, published three days before the presidential election, are strangely reminiscent of personality cults from the Soviet era. See the other drawings.

"Dmitry Anatolyevich is a worthy successor" by Valeriya Emelchenkova, 10, Chelyabinsk region. Medvedev is lifting weights that are labelled "housing", "children", "school", "village", "nature", and "sport".

The contributors

The use of a high-pitched alarm to drive British teenagers away from public places is under dispute on the blogosphere after a campaign against the alarms was launched by the Children's Commissioner for England yesterday. The ‘mosquito' alarm which is so high-pitched that only young ears are able to pick it up has been installed by 3,500 shopkeepers and supermarkets in the UK since it was invented in 2005. Now, the ‘Buzz off' campaign says that the £500 product should be prohibited from use. Test your hearing to find out if you're a public nuisance here...

The contributors