Speaking following a new report, which states a fifth of young people see a bleak future for themselves, Mr Glen said the media portrayal of supposedly successful young people led many others to question why their own lives were not going so well.

The Action for Children Scotland study states that 18% of 17 to 25-year-olds polled said they had little chance of making it in life, with those brought up in poverty and deprivation most likely to offend and suffer poor health and unemployment.

Mr Glen said it was up to adults and groups such as his to help young people manage their expectations, while also giving them the belief that they can create a better life for themselves.”

He said, “We have done a lot of consultation with young people.

“It is clear from all the discussion and dialogue we have had that young people are under pressure whether at school, at home, in their relationships or through their expectations of life.

“There is obviously a huge gulf between how young people want their lives to be and how it is a lot of the time.

“There are an awful lot of young people who don’t have the encouragement, support, positive role models that they could, or should, have.”

He continued, “The number of young people coming to see us for individual support has risen significantly in the last two years and that really reflects the pressure young people are under.

“I think the pressure of exposure to what is possible — through celebrity culture — is so great that young people can look at their own lives and feel pretty miserable.”

Laurie Matthew, of award-winning Dundee charity Eighteen and Under, said she was “not at all surprised” at the findings.

She said, “I think I am actually a bit surprised it is such a low number. When we come across young people in Dundee who have grown up in poverty and deprivation they really don’t have a lot of hope because there is not a lot of hope around them.

“In my experience, they would be less likely to go on to further education and there is a definite sense of hopelessness.

“Of course, whether this ends up being the reality is another matter. But for many of our young people I think it does.

“If they don't see a work ethos around them from their family, or get any encouragement, they do end up thinking, ‘what's the point?’.”

Mrs Matthew added that she believed it is vital to intervene in a child’s life as early as possible if the pattern was to be broken.

She said, “If we can get them at primary school then you can make a real difference. The teachers do a awful lot of great work.”

A Dundee City Council spokesman said, “As the survey shows, the overwhelming majority of young people are satisfied with their lives.

“For those who are not, the council is playing its part in trying to improve their lives by working with partners to provide as many choices for young people as possible and to regenerate disadvantaged communities.”