Over to you

All Transition Year work-experience places in The Irish Times have already been filled for this school year, so Media Scope can no longer offer such places via the 'Over to You' column. However, we're still anxious to hear young people's views on media-related topics of your choice - just send your 200-word piece to one of the addresses given below.

Judith Gannon, Mount St Michael, Claremorris, Co Mayo

Every morning, get up, put on uniform, go to school. This is my routine, and it rarely changes.

Although I object, intellectually, to having to wear a uniform, I have to admit school life would be a lot harder for me if I didn't wear one. I cringe at the thought of 500 girls checking my clothes, wondering if I'm wearing the brands that conform to a teenage girl's idea of "cool". No, it's much easier to wear a uniform.

But aside from saving me the anxiety of deciding what to wear, do uniforms really do any good? They eliminate differences, but at what cost? Is making everyone look the same really good for teenagers? For anyone?

Most marketing ploys are directed at teenagers - "all the cool people are doing it". Why can't we resist?

One thing we are always being told is that teenagers don't like to be different. We spend six hours a day, five days a week looking the same. Educationalists don't want us to be different!

As long as we have to conform to a uniform, then we shouldn't be expected to go home at 4 p.m. and have the power to resist multi-million-euro ad campaigns - to suddenly become rebels.

Aonghus McEvoy, Belvedere College, Dublin

Drugs, under-age drinking, organised crime and the latest episode of EastEnders are some of the gripping issues dealt with in today's papers. Dramas are treated in greater detail than real life in some Irish papers. At a time when crime is at its highest and drugs run rampant, some publications find the latest episode of Coronation Street much more important.

People seem to have their priorities confused, if television programmes are given greater attention than real life.

Too much emphasis is put on entertainment in life today. Children are becoming more and more anti-social, because of the availability and choice of computer games and television channels.

Television and computers can educate and help children, but the amount of violence and other negative things shown these media can also desensitive children. People today prioritise television viewing over everything else when they finish working.

If we could live in a society where our lives are not wasted wanting to be entertained all the time, we would all be much more happy and creative.

Media Scope is a weekly media studies page for use in schools.

Write to Media Scope at mediapage@irish-times.ie; or by posting your comments to Newspaper in the Classroom, The Irish Times, 11-16 D'Olier Street, Dublin 2; or faxing (01) 679 2789. Which medium you choose, be sure to include your name, address and school, plus telephone numbers for home and school.

Media Scope is edited by Harry Browne.