The media-driven world of popular entertainment has created a craze for lists of trivia - "Top 10s, rich lists, poor lists... even a list of the so-called 10 Greatest Britons, none of whom can meaningfully be compared to any of the others" says Dr Giles Mercer.

Quiz shows like The Weakest Link prize random factual knowledge over developing depths of understanding, Dr Giles will tell a conference of Catholic head teachers on Friday.

Teenagers miss out on news and political television as between Newsround for nine-year-olds and Panorama for adults, there is no programming aimed directly at them.

Teachers are having to increase efforts to help young people make well-informed judgements and avoid falling into passivity or cynicism about politics.

Do you agree with Dr Giles? Are there too many gameshows or do lighter programmes have a place in scheduling? Does the media make young people cynical about politics?

This Talking Point has now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

This is just as daft as saying all pensioners are not interested in computers Ann, UK

Why should all teenagers be interested in politics? Those that are can search out the mainstream political programmes. This is ageist, just as daft as saying all pensioners are not interested in computers. Teenagers grow up, and, guess what, they'll soon be twenty-somethings, paying taxes and voting. Targeting any kind of programme at any particular age group is really puerile.
Ann, UK

Of course your average teenager doesn't care about politics! Did you when you were their age? I'm 16 and far more political than anyone I know at private school. The problem is that we constantly pressure teenagers to feel that they have to be adults, this is the reason that children no longer value their childhood, try letting them find their own interests as they develop, wouldn't that be a novel idea.
Lenny, UK

As a child I was prevented by my parents from viewing programs they considered bad for me, this included Top of the Pops and Tiswas. I had to sneak out and view them at my older brother's. As a parent I have strong views on TV especially soaps. However I believe that the key is to talk to children about the programs they view and give them the balanced view they do not always get about life from them.
Tim, UK

News is boring Eimear, Ireland

As a teenager I think there are not too many game shows or comedies. These shows help you relax and the majority of teens wouldn't watch politics anyway. It was astonished by what Bush said on Friday but beyond that, news is boring. Whenever I go to the news it seems to be some silly story about hippos being reunited. Is that supposed to inspire us?
Eimear, Ireland

Soaps should go back to being once a week - not 4 or 5 times a week. That way there might be a chance for a decent drama more than twice a year. It should also halt the whole tabloidisation of our media which has now infected TV as well - Liquid News - total trivia!
George, UK

I don't think it's fair to say that teenagers are only interested in TV that has no educational value! Annie, UK

I am a teenager and I do find politics fairly interesting. I like to watch history documentaries and other factual programmes but trashy TV too. I don't think it's fair to say that teenagers are only interested in TV that has no educational value!
Annie, UK

There's plenty of factual programmes out there, especially for those of us with digital TV. But if parents don't show the way by getting a daily newspaper, watching the news with their children and encouraging children's awareness of the world around them they're not going to have any interest in any factual show for teenagers that any channel can come up with by the time they're teenagers.
Christine, UK

I'm a 16 year old so I realise that nobody my age wants to know about politics or current affairs. When I get home from school I like to watch easy entertainment like Eastenders and The Simpsons, and Sky TV is one of the greatest things ever! I don't see why these people should shove their tastes down everybody else's throats. Neither me nor any of my friends could care less about politics so why should it be forced onto me?
Ashley Ross, UK

I feel that we're really missing out on science shows Joe Murphy, UK

While there are a range of top quality entertainment shows (from The Simpsons to Buffy), I feel that we're really missing out on science shows. I remember having to really think about shows like Horizon and Equinox in the 80s, but most recent science programming has become very lowest common denominator. Much more concerned with hilarity, hype and hysteria than education.
Joe Murphy, UK

As a member of the first generation to be raised with television, I do not remember as a teenager being remotely interested in the 'educational' programmes. I wanted the comedies, the soaps, the quizzes. Was I unique in that? Apparently, because it is also my generation bemoaning the current television diet of teenagers. The worst that it did for me is to actually make me switch off my television the older I got.
Philip, England

Being a teenager myself I can say that TV is fine the way it is. We have a good dose of Friends and The Simpsons and some music shows. My brain gets tired and stimulated enough at college, so the last thing my brain wants is "stimulating, intelligent programming". I could watch Simpsons 24/7. D'Oh!
Claire Anderson, UK

Blockbusters was the mainstream quiz show for teenagers Mike, UK

I tend to agree; the only TV I enjoyed which provided some insight into current affairs was Spitting Image and more recently, Have I Got News For You. Blockbusters was the mainstream quiz show for teenagers.

Channel 4's evening news seems to be the best choice though you do not get the background, simply because there isn't enough time in the schedule. TV has spent the last couple of years dumbing down. Reality TV, Big Brother and even Airline are not remotely intelligent or interesting.

Quiz shows may promote generalised knowledge but they are significantly better than Eastenders and Coronation Street. Soap operas getting so much airtime per week is frustrating.
Mike, UK

They don't want more educational guff Yna M, UK

Why are comparisons being made between entertainment and educational programmes? Educational programmes can always be recorded and shown on video at schools. Coming home, they don't want to be confronted with more educational guff. Just easy watching so they can escape real life for a couple of hours.
Yna M, UK

I totally agree with the head teacher. Satellite and terrestrial TV are nothing more than extensions of the tabloid press peddling mundane and trivial products for the brain dead masses.
Rob, Preston, England, UK

Under-18s can't vote - if they thought their views were important, maybe they would take more notice and have a greater knowledge of political issues. It is not entirely true that "random factual knowledge" does not enhance the mind. Surely it is better for a young person to watch an episode of The Weakest Link than to ignore them for computer games promoting violence and anti-social behaviour?
Sarah, UK

The young are right to be cynical Gareth Nathanson-Parry, UK

I think the young are right to be cynical about mainstream politics - that's not to say they aren't politically aware - hence the enormous amounts of young people who have joined recent marches against the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. These youngsters see the media is just a bunch of lies perpetrated by multinational corporations and governments and dressed up as news.
Gareth Nathanson-Parry, UK

Bring back the Crystal Maze!
Shalim, UK

I am a young person myself and I think TV is perfectly fine the way it is. If young people want to watch the news or political programmes then they will but young people today just want to go out clubbing, hanging around with mates or doing leisure activities. Like Scott from UK said they will grow out of it soon.
Gary Irvine MSYP, Scotland

Kids are never that interested in news and current affairs. I know I wasn't at that age. Kids just want to watch mindless stuff, it is time we stopped pressuring them not to watch TV and play video games. Most will grow out of it.
Scott, UK

I remember excellent and enthralling editions of Horizon when I was a child, plus enticing programmes hosted by Johnny Ball and James Burke, all of which captured my attention.
Dr Duncan Campbell, UK

I don't think it matters what you put on at prime time. Most teenagers won't be watching TV anyway; they'll be playing video games.
Mark, London, UK

Old people remember a time when it was different Simon Richardson, UK

TV has nothing to do with it. The issues that really affect our lives are decided by businessmen, without debate or consultation. The difference between young people and old people is that old people remember a time when it was different, while young people have seen nothing except the powerless cynicism of this new century.
Simon Richardson, UK

There are decent programs on TV, and I particularly disagree with the head teacher's assessment of the Great Britons. Much of the debate in our household was about whether you could compare such different people, and what greatness means. If we can get our 12-year-old to watch decent programs with us, getting a teenager to watch them shouldn't be a problem. Should it..?
Chris Q, UK

Surely today's 30-somethings were more likely to have grown up reading Action comics (with exciting stories such as Hookjaw, the man-eating shark) than listening to some dull worthy story about sheep-dipping on the Archers or reading Finnegan's Wake?
Arthur Wyatt, London

I watched nothing but garbage and I turned out fine Stacey Turner, England (ex-US)

I don't see the harm in teenagers watching rubbish television. I watched nothing but garbage when I was a teenager and I turned out fine. I wasn't interested in learning anything on television; I just wanted to be entertained. Many teenagers are in school during their entire teenage years and are subjected to intense academic and social pressure.
Stacey Turner, England (ex-US)

I've grown up in an age where there are no real current affairs programs aimed at teenagers. Maybe the answer is to have teenage dramas and soaps to touch on political subjects to get kids interested enough to watch adult shows. These don't have to be about national politics, but maybe school politics in something like Grange Hill, or the return of a show like Press Gang.
Rob, Uk

The BBC really have dumbed down Newsround, it used to be real news told in a way that younger people can understand - now it is just kids news!
Jon, UK

It would be nice to see some high quality, intelligent programming but interested teenagers will always find out what they need to know through the internet, radio, or newspapers. If a teenager isn't interested in politics, current affairs, or the wider world outside soaps and quizzes then no amount of intelligent broadcasting is going to persuade them to tune in and take interest.
Ed Chivers, UK