Heroes 'taking over from parents'

Teenagers are becoming so starstruck that celebrities are having more influence on them than parents, teachers and even friends, a study suggests today.

A healthy interest in the rich and famous can easily turn into an obsession which leaves youngsters isolated and lacking social skills, experts say.

In the past, the family and school were the main influences on the developing minds of children.

But now youngsters are treating celebrities as pseudo friends and spend hours gossiping about them in the playground, a study of 200 young people aged 11 to 16 found.

While many children treat stars as just someone to talk about, others develop a fixation with famous people who they see as their soul-mates. Dr John Maltby, of the University of Leicester, said: 'Following celebrities for intense and personal reasons, and excluding other people from this interest, may reflect a lack of security and closeness in their life.'

However, a separate study by Save The Children found that teenagers' greatest hero is not David Beckham or Britney Spears - but 1960s civil rights icon Martin Luther King.