Yet Paul Burstow, Liberal Democrat MP, has concerns. He points to the rapid and recent rise in the drug's use. In the past year, prescriptions have jumped by 22 per cent. He is concerned that little is known about the symptoms and consequences of the attention deficit disorders that it is prescribed for. He fears that Ritalin has become a first choice rather than a last resort.
One telling point comes in the official advice that children "should be taken off the drug whenever possible, for example on weekends and during holidays". This rather suggests that the reasons for prescribing it have little to do with the quality of life of the young person and more to do with management in classrooms. Do young people have the right to enjoy their leisure time? If the drug is too risky to let them use it to improve their concentration and reduce hyperactive impulses in their own time, why is it okay to do so during school hours?
Adults can suffer from poor concentration too. But 91 per cent of prescriptions for Ritalin are given out to people under the age of 18. Go figure.
The regular slot in Young People Now called "Best thing I ever did" is highly valued. But balance is always good in a magazine. So there is a very good argument for having a companion slot: "Worst thing I ever did".
A recent contender is the 17-year-old who took off his trousers at a Buckingham Palace garden party and ran across the lawn shouting "Wahey!".
According to press reports, he is said to be "extremely embarrassed" and writing an apology to the Queen. Or that's what his dad says.
But think how much more useful a public description of what happened and why would be. Not only would "Worst thing ..." set the record straight and correct all the fanciful speculation elsewhere in the press: it would be a welcome comfort to others. Young people tortured - as many are - by the memory of stupid or embarrassing acts could read it for consolation.
What I did was cringe-making and I want to die, they may say. But at least I'm not the young person in this week's magazine.
