This essay will examine the different ways young people are portrayed in the media. It will focus on how the idea of ​​childhood innocence has been challenged by the media and instead of "little angels" children are now seen as "little devils" in the public eye. By looking at "The Bulger Case of 1993" we can see where the idea of ​​"little devils" and children as evil beings began. It will examine why media stories about young people focus much more on negative aspects such as crime and gang culture rather than positive ones. We will also examine how television programs such as "Teen Mom" ​​and "Skins" portray today's youth and whether these programs present themselves as a positive or negative portrayal of teenagers. We will also examine the idea of ​​a "self-fulfilling prophecy" and whether the way the media portrays children can be detrimental to the construction of their identities and possibly lead to alienation. In 1993, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, at the age of ten, abused and killed a two-year-old boy, James Bulger. There was media furor over the case with the two boys described as "evil", "monsters" and "freaks" in the media (Franklin & Horwath 1998). There were many references to evil in the newspapers; with the Telegraph stating that Thompson's nickname was "Damien" (from The Omen) and stating that Venables' date of birth was Friday the 13th. Most of society was united in the belief that these two boys were the embodiment of bad and it was the media that nourished this belief. 'Newspaper reports were unequivocal in their denunciation of Thompson and Venables as intrinsically evil, prompted perhaps initially by Judge Morland's description of the murder as an unprecedented act... middle of paper...-England- London- 14450248> [Accessed 2 January 2012]Buckingham, D. (2000) After the Death of Childhood: Growing up in the age of electronic media. Great Britain, Polity Press.Lakhani, N (2008) Nasty, Brutish and Short: The Horrific Life of Baby P. [Internet], United Kingdom, The Independent. Available from: [Accessed 2 January 2012]Baker, M (2010) Are exams really getting easier? [Internet], United Kingdom, BBC. Available from: [Accessed 2 January 2012]Clark, C, Ghosh, A, Green, E, Shariff,N. (n.d.) Media representation of young people: impact and influences. [Internet], United Kingdom, Young Researcher Network. Available from: [Accessed 2 January 2012]