Children's Express reporters Sheena Hall, 14 and Orlaith Graham Wood, 13 consider the reaction to the Prince Harry drug scandal.
Prince Harry has been making the newspaper headlines with his experimentation with drink and drugs.
Naturally, the media flipped when they got hold of the scandal.
If a normal kid tried cannabis, no such uproar would have been made.
According to research, 23% of 500 young people (11-16 years) in Northern Ireland had been offered drugs, while 7% admitted taking them. In reality, the number is higher.
Children's Express asked Belfast's young people about their attitudes to the drugs, alcohol and the Royal scandal.
Mark Luney,14, was quick to run to the young Prince's defence. "Experimenting is something most teenagers do,".
"Often taking risks is a spur of the moment thing and we don't think about the consequences. We like to live for the moment. I doubt Harry thought a lot about what he was doing."
These days few young people turn to royalty to find role models. A huge raft of teens are not going to turn into drug addicts just because Harry tried dope. Most young people see Harry as Harry the teenager, not Harry the Prince and they are not really that interested in what he gets up to.
"Prince Charles blew this whole ordeal out of proportion. If most parents found out their child was drinking or smoking cannabis and responded like him, there would be a queue at every local rehab clinic," he added.
Lisa Skinner, 17, thinks the Prince Harry situation is strange, particularly the heavy-handed way his cannabis smoking was dealt with.
"I work in a bar, I'm nearly 18 but I don't do drugs for health reasons. I notice drunk people get aggressive but when kids get stoned all they do is fall about laughing."
Peter Briggs, 13, thinks the Royals and the media have made a big deal out of nothing much.
"If I was Prince Charles and I found out my son was taking drugs, I wouldn't do very much about it. I would tell my children if you're going to do drugs do it in a safe environment, where your parents know where you are."
Harry deserves a little sympathy; he can't make one wrong move with the whole country flipping. He must be under a lot of pressure, so it's no great shock that he wanted to chill out and try dope.
The Royal drug scandal has raised an important question. How we cut down on teenage drug taking?
Stephanie McCann,15, thinks the answer lies in providing more activities for young people.
"Maybe the government should have more things for children to do, this could help provide an alternative to drug taking from an early age. Some young people take drugs because there is nothing better to do."
Thomas Kielty,16, reckons adults need to wise up a bit. "Teenage experimenting isn't a new story, yet parents and others still seem to over-react.
He said, "Parents need to 'chill out', spend more time talking to their children and less time losing the head."
"I understand people take the issue of drugs very seriously but the way Prince Charles dealt with the matter is way over the top. Come on, trying to use a visit to a drugs rehabilitation unit as shock treatment?"
"We all know about Prince Harry's recent antics, but let's face it most teenagers have experimented with some sort of drug, whether it's cigarettes, alcohol or cannabis. If you haven't you are thought of being a 'fruit' by your peers. This puts major pressure on young people," he added.
It seems parents mostly find out about young people's 'illegal activities' after they been caught. This could suggest that families have to work at being more open and honest about the realities that face young people today in relation to drugs. Maybe adults need come out of denial and figure out other ways to keep children safe and well-informed.
About the team
This story was produced by Sheena Hall, 14 and Orlaith Graham Wood, 13. It was published in The News Letter.
