British children need to be exposed to more culture, not the empty world of celebrities.

That is the view of Nicola Benedetti, one of the country's best young violinists, who told the Radio Times that many of the young people she has come across in recent times live an "aimless" existence.

Ms Benedetti, 25, argued that a significant proportion of the school-age demographic do not understand the value of hard work.

"Now, more than ever, we need a cultural identity for youth in this country," she said.

"If children don’t have very strong parenting and don’t have an activity to replace the aimlessness that can go on after school hours, they end up accepting what’s shoved in their face."

She argued that an obsession with celebrity culture does not bring anything constructive to the lives of young people, many of whom have their ambitions obscured by the superficial culture.

The onus, the violinist argued, is on schools to change the attitude of young people towards more traditional forms of culture.

Capita - one of the leading permanent, part-time and supply teaching agencies in the UK.