I believe that the environmental factor plays an important role in building a individual or society. These youngster haven't seen the other side of the country, nor experience what it's like to be deprived. People in this country are very lucky to claim benefits when they cannot get a job and can be a total ingrate to government and fellow countrymen who put in half of their months wages into taxes to keep this country floating and in shape.
Discipline is nothing have to do with smacking the child, its about facing the consequences when one commit a mistake. Making them aware what is wrong and what is logical way to approaching the difficulties in life.
I can understand if they were breaking some doors/windows because they were hungry and haven't eaten at all, instead they were taking laptops, clothes, computers, mobile phones and burning properties, livelihoods. A very shameful act because even the third world countries rioters don't go looting in shops to get mobile phones and etc.
The human value and for its society is gone. It is not only youngster who went there to loot, some were educator, a lawyer graduate from uni, social worker... all sorts because of stupid and very lame reasons.
I salute those people who helped clean up the cities after the mess they maid. It shows that the good spirit of humanity still lingers even though chaos and its virus inflected to the society that made the recent events put UK on top of news in the world.