At the Children and Gangs seminar QA Research, which conducted the study in partnership with CYP Now, revealed that boredom, fear and the status that comes with gangs are among the reasons why children aged 10 to 14 get involved.
By speaking to professionals, parents and children in Southwark, Glasgow and Manchester, researchers found that different types of behaviour and structures exist in each area.
In some cases children as young as 10 were undertaking gang activity, while another worrying finding indicated that girls involved with male gang members could often be victims of sexual exploitation.
Addressing delegates, Paul Fletcher, director of Rathbone, said: "We do have a serious problem of young people joining gangs, carrying knives and guns. What we need is a national awareness-raising campaign that gives well-researched information about gangs, that deglamourises gangs.
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