Parents have little idea about the problems teenagers really face, new research suggests.

Almost 42% of all parents in a survey by the Get Connected helpline listed drugs as the biggest problem teenagers had.

TEENAGERS' PROBLEMS

42% of parents think drugs are biggest problem 33% of teens said relationships are biggest worry 19% of teens said drugs are main concern

But a third of young people said managing relationships - with friends, family or lovers - were their biggest worry.

Only 19% of teenagers said drugs were their main concern.

Bullying was picked out as the biggest problem for 13% of teenagers - but only by 7% of parents - with pregnancy and sex the biggest problem for 10% of teens.

The report found young people faced a wider range of problems than parents were aware of.

Drugs warning

Only one in 20 parents considered physical or mental health problems - including suicide, self-harm and eating disorders - to be major issues facing young people.

Yet one in six of the young people themselves cited these as problems.

Justin Irwin, the charity's director, said parents, the media and opinion formers were all out of touch with young people's problems.

MAIN ISSUE IN CALLS TO GET CONNECTED

Housing/running away: 15% Relationships: 14% Sex/pregnancy: 12% Sexuality: 10% Drugs, smoking, alcohol: 2%

"The media should carefully consider its regular demonisation of drug use amongst young people, and look more fully at the reasons why young people may take drugs, rather than exaggerating the extent of the problem," he said.

"Stop making assumptions. Start being realistic."

The research also revealed differences in emphasis between young men and young women.

More than a quarter of young men were most concerned about drugs, a figure twice as high as that for young women.

One in 10 young men said physical health and smoking were their biggest problem, which was three times as many as young women.

Mental health

Young women were at least twice as likely as young men to have worries about pregnancy, sex, abuse, suicide, self-harm or eating disorders.

The research also found that mental health issues could be a significant problem for young people.

The report called for GPs to be given additional training in the field of mental health, and working with young people.

It also urged mental health issues to be added to the educational curriculum.

Get Connected is a free helpline for young people which connects callers to suitable organisations.