Being 16, facing GCSEs, piles of revision - the prospect of leaving the safety of school and stepping out into the real world. For many this is a very frightening prospect, admittedly or otherwise. Being 16, it's not the easiest age to be, yet the hardest thing about being 16 is the prejudice against you for simply being your age.

Undoubtedly, there are many problems caused by teenagers in general but sometimes people must remember that there are also problems caused by people in their thirties, forties and fifties. There will always be problems with vandalism - crime, as well as problems of attitude, caused by small minorities in society, but why must teenagers, always have to face the blame?

Emma (above) things 16 is not the easiest age to be...

Teenagers are often portrayed as drug-abusing, valueless, hyper-sexed, aggressive criminals, but this is not the case for the majority of teens and being labelled as such is unfair and prejudiced.

When boarding a bus, I intend to pay, take a seat and get off at my stop (this is what most people do when using public transport) although as I am 16, the bus driver seems to think I am going to pay an incorrect fair, vandalise the bus and leave shouting obscene comments towards him, his attitude is therefore negative towards me from the start. He probably does have teens on board the bus who behave that way but why should all of us be judged by a minority?

Unfortunately, most negative attitudes towards teenagers are increasingly being confirmed with the emergence of the new 'chav' culture in which designer clad youths, complete with a number of sovereign rings on each hand and dangling thick gold chains around their necks, aimlessly clog up our streets, causing chaos, and lacking any evident plans for future success, especially when stringing a sentence together is an impossible task. However, there is still hope for today's young generation. We are not all trouble causing nobodies and are tired of being branded with this label.

Emma:"...the bus driver seems to think I am going to pay an incorrect fair, vandalise the bus and leave shouting obscene comments."

People must realise that teenagers are individuals, and need to be treated as such. It's true that there are teenagers that fit the stereotype perfectly and the negative opinions of teens are in those cases fitting and unfortunately true, but it's not fair to brand all teens with the same brush and treat all of us with disrespect just because of our age. There are many teens that have goals, ambitions and plans for a successful future, and have nothing but respect for older generations of society.

Stereotypes aren't always correct so give teens a chance, after all the teens of today are the adults of tomorrow.

This article is user-generated content (i.e. external contribution) expressing a personal opinion, not the views of the BBC West Yorkshire website.