AN increasing number of young people are finding themselves in debt.

We all know that learning to save is imperative and many of us hail from a generation taught to save up and bide our time until we could afford things.

That said, it appears it isn't the need-it-now mindset nor is it the 'buy now pay later' incentives which have caused young people to be in this predicament.

A spokesman for Bradford and Airedale Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) says that while they are seeing an increasing number of young people seeking advice for debt issues, it isn't caused by irresponsible spending.

She says the welfare changes have hit many young people hard. "They are just not managing, not necessarily that they going out and being irresponsible or making poor decisions with money they have got. They haven't got enough to meet the priorities they have," she says.

Jobseekers allowance sanctions have also had an impact too. "Young people can be disproportionately affected by sanctions compared with older claimants, the system can be hard to understand and to navigate. People with mental health or substance misuse issues are more likely to be sanctioned, in part because of their particular difficulties in meeting job centre requirements," she explains.

The introduction of Universal Credit could also pose a challenge for young people too. "Claimants will receive benefits as a monthly direct payment. These payments may be challenging for young people to manage if they lack financial budgeting skills. There is a risk that young people may experience rent arrears and financial distress as a result."

According to the Citizens Advice's new report 'Unsecured and Insecured' people aged 17 to 24 came to them with 102,296 debt issues in the last year - 21 per cent more than the previous.

The charity says this increase comes against a backdrop of exploding unsecured borrowing among young people which risks trapping a new generation in problem debt.

Official data analysed by the charity shows young people have an average unsecured debt of £12,215 - more than three times what it was before the financial crash between 2006-08.

Citizens Advice says as well as an increase in the volume of debt, there have been changes in the types of loans young people are taking out.

While much of the debt rise is due to student loans, there has also been an increase in 'formal' loans such as bank or payday lending, as well as borrowing from family or friends.

Between 2006/08 and 2012 there was a five fold increase in the average size of a formal loan debt, from £969 to £4,577. Loans from friends and family rose from an average £30 to more than £1,000.

By contrast, the average credit card balances of this age group decreased from £332 to £234, the charity found.

Citizens Advice said its own data shows other age groups are twice as likely to go to the charity with credit card problems than 17 to 24 year olds.

The charity said it also helps a higher proportion of young people than older groups with debt relief orders (DROs), which are a type of formal personal insolvency often taken out by people who have run up consumer debts the have no prospect of paying off.

Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, says: "A new generation of young people are starting out with stifling levels of debt.

"Many young people already face challenges getting on the career and housing ladders - doing this while saddled with huge unsecured debts makes it an uphill struggle."

Here are some debt busting tips: Work out a basic budget, including rent, gas, electricity, travel and food; prioritise the most important bills. The consequences for not paying some debts, like rent or council tax, can be much more serious than for others, so paying these first is important. Once you have done that, you can look at your budget and work out how much can go towards other debts.

Make the most of the offers available to young people. Under 25s can often get discounts on travel and you may not have to pay council tax if you are in full-time education or an apprenticeship. Check citizensadvice.org.uk for more information.

* Bradford and Airedale Citizens Advice run a debt advice line which is open 24 hours a day - call (01274) 758047 or visit citizensadvice.org.uk