In 1964, clashes between two British youth subcultures, the Mods and the Rockers, in seaside towns like Clacton and Brighton sparked a moral panic in the United Kingdom. The media portrayed the groups as violent, unruly troublemakers, fueling public fear about the breakdown of social order and the moral decay of youth. The panic, analyzed by sociologist Stanley Cohen in his book 'Folk Devils and Moral Panics,' became a classic case study of how media can amplify deviance.

The Mods and Rockers panic has been referenced in countless poems, novels, and films that explore the tensions between youth culture and the establishment. The event also gave rise to the sociological concept of the 'moral panic,' which has been used by writers and critics to analyze media manipulation and social anxiety. The panic's themes of generational conflict and cultural change continue to resonate in literature that examines the dynamics of subcultures and the fear of the new.