Introduction

For decades, sociologists have shown how the media creates “folk devils” out of youth subcultures. Stanley Cohen’s classic study (Folk Devils and Moral Panics, 1972) highlighted how Mods and Rockers were labelled as violent and dangerous by newspapers in the 1960s. Later studies, such as Hall et al. (Policing the Crisis, 1978), showed how moral panics about “muggings” were linked to deeper issues of race, class, and social control. In the digital age, McRobbie and Thornton (1995) argue moral panics are more fragmented and happen more frequently, thanks to rolling news and social media.

This activity lets students step into the role of the media by creating their own exaggerated “news” stories. By doing so, they experience how moral entrepreneurs construct deviance, while also critically reflecting on the social consequences of these portrayals.

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Skills Students Gain

• AO1 (Knowledge): Understanding classic and contemporary research into moral panics.
• AO2 (Application): Applying Becker’s labelling theory, Cohen’s moral panic framework, and later perspectives to youth subcultures.
• AO3 (Analysis/Evaluation): Critiquing how moral entrepreneurs (media, police, politicians) create exaggerated portrayals of youth.
• Creativity & Engagement: Producing a mock article develops imagination, communication, and presentation skills.

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Media portrayals of youth subcultures have long shaped how society understands young people. From the “mods and rockers” of the 1960s to today’s drill rappers or climate activists, young people are often labelled as deviant, dangerous, or disruptive. This activity, Read All About It, encourages students to explore these portrayals by creating their own mock news articles. Through this process, students learn to critically analyse the role of moral entrepreneurs and how the media can fuel moral panics about youth.

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The Activity in Practice

Students work in groups to research, design, and present a mock newspaper or digital article about a chosen youth subculture. They are asked to adopt the perspective of moral entrepreneurs (media, politicians, police) and construct a “news story” that exaggerates or sensationalises the behaviour of young people.

At the end, students add a short sociological commentary explaining how their work illustrates labelling theory, stereotyping, and the creation of moral panics.

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Pedagogical Commentary

This activity is rooted in discovery learning: instead of being told what a moral panic looks like, students actively construct one themselves.

• Bruner (1961) argued that discovery learning encourages deeper understanding because learners make meaning actively.
• Alfieri et al. (2011) showed that discovery approaches are most effective when structured — here, the reporting framework scaffolds student exploration.
• Kapur (2014) highlighted “productive failure”: creating exaggerated news stories first helps students later reflect critically on real-world examples.
• Hmelo-Silver et al. (2007) emphasise that guided inquiry, where teachers provide structure and feedback, leads to stronger conceptual grasp — the final reflection task provides this scaffolding.

By positioning students as “moral entrepreneurs,” the activity encourages empathy with how labels are socially constructed — while still allowing critical distance through their sociological evaluation.

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Activity Instructions:

Task Overview

You are a sociologist-journalist! Your job is to create a newspaper or online article about a youth subculture. Your article should focus on how moral entrepreneurs (such as the media, politicians, or the police) might interpret or “label” the behaviour of this group.

You can present your article as either:

• A digital article (Google Doc, Canva, PowerPoint mock-up of an online news site), OR
• A print mock-up (designed on paper to look like a magazine or tabloid page).

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Instructions for Students

1. Choose a subculture
   • Examples: Drill music fans, goths, TikTok “E-girls/E-boys,” gamers, grime scene, climate activist youth, or mods and rockers.
2. Research
   • Look at how this subculture is represented in the media or public debate.
   • Pay attention to headlines, images, and stereotypes.
3. Analyse using sociology
   • Apply Becker’s labelling theory: how might “moral entrepreneurs” construct this group as deviant?
   • Apply Cohen’s moral panic theory (1972): are young people being presented as a threat to social order?
   • Consider more recent research, such as:
     • Hall et al. (1978) – the “mugging” moral panic and how media portrayals link to wider social control.
     • McRobbie & Thornton (1995) – argue that moral panics are now more frequent and fragmented in the age of digital media.
4. Create your article
   • Write a headline that captures the tone of a moral panic.
   • Include 2–3 short “quotes” (imagined but realistic) from sources like police, parents, or politicians.
   • Add an image (real or sketched) that reflects the subculture.
   • Finish with a sociological commentary paragraph showing how your mock article demonstrates moral panic, labelling, and stereotyping.
5. Present
   • Share your article with the class. Discuss how moral entrepreneurs’ voices shaped the portrayal of each subculture.

Students can use these as models for their own exaggerated headlines:

• “Wild Ones ‘Beat Up Margate” (Daily Mirror, 1964, reporting on Mods and Rockers)
• “Evil videogames are creating a generation of killers” (tabloid coverage, 1990s–2000s)
• “Hoodies: The new menace on our streets” (Daily Mail, 2005)
• “Drill music blamed for surge in knife crime” (The Times, 2018)
• “TikTok craze puts children at risk” (The Sun, 2020)

You can download the activity, instructions and student worksheet below.