Teenagers say Amy 'fool not cool'

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Teenage girls are put off by the drugs and drink lifestyles of celebrities Amy Winehouse, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, a new survey reveals.

The study of 1,700 UK girls aged 11-18 reveals that while they feel pressure to try drugs and alcohol, they do not see troubled stars as good role models.

The survey for the national anti-drug programme Frank and Sugar magazine is a positive sign, experts say.

Troubled American pop princess Spears topped the list of the "uncool".

"I was really surprised by the reactions to the celebrities because the coverage of it all can serve to normalise addiction," said addictions therapist Sarah Graham of the survey conducted in October.

'Rock 'n' roll'

The girls were asked for their thoughts on a string of celebrities with well-publicised struggles with drugs and alcohol and asked to rate them.

When asked what they thought when they saw celebrities behaving badly, 42% said they felt sorry for them and they needed help and 40% said they looked stupid.

Annabel Brog, editor of Sugar magazine, said the results show teenage girls deserve credit for not being sucked in to the so-called glamorous life of the star.

WHAT INFLUENCES YOU? Friends - 87%Fashion - 78%Music - 74%Parents - 60%Other member of family - 59%Older girls/boys - 58%Celebrities - 37% Source: FRANK/Sugar Magazine

"Teenagers today are well aware of the damage drug use can cause and it's good to see that they are not blinded by the lights of celebrities," she said.

When asked to hand out "cool" or "fool" labels, Spears was rated "fool" by 90% of respondents, while Winehouse and Lohan scored 79% "fool" ratings.

Paris Hilton scored a 76% in the "fool" meter, while her former sidekick Nicole Ritchie was seen as a "fool" by 71%.

Singer Lily Allen, often photographed stumbling out of nightclubs, remains on the "cool" side of the survey, approved of by 53% of the girls.

As to where they do turn for influence, the girls ranked friends above fashion, music and their parents.

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The percentage of girls who admitted trying drugs was only 13%, compared with 33% who said they had smoked and 34% who confessed to playing truant from school.

The girls did reveal that they felt pressured to take drugs to impress boys, with 21% saying they thought boys would think they were cool to try.

Ms Graham said some of the more disturbing images of Winehouse and Spears may have helped to debunk the glamour factor of a rock 'n' roll lifestyle, but there are still some who are attracted to hard living.

"There is a minority who view those images differently, who are attracted to the rebelliousness," she said.

"But the reality is that the majority of people don't live through that kind of drug taking, they die."