HARD-UP teenagers will be given millions of pounds of taxpayers' money to spend on playing football or going to the cinema.

The Government will give disadvantaged children aged 13 to 17 debit cards, topped up with up to £40 a month.

It wants them to spend the money on "positive activities", which could include trips to theatre, sport, music, dance or drama.

About 20,000 youngsters who get free school meals or are in care stand to benefit from a pilot project involving County Durham, Sunderland and seven other areas.

The test of what is a positive activity and what is not is whether it has "sufficient educational activity" to be able to "improve a young person's well-being".

The final say will rest with councils, which will set up deals with businesses to accept the debit cards.

Young people's Minister Beverley Hughes said: "Young people are more likely to be the victims of crime than any other group and they tell us that they don't feel safe in their communities.

"We want to give them the opportunity to take part in positive activities and to have somewhere safe for them to do that.

"Some young people tell us that they have to overcome difficult obstacles in order to access youth activities, including lack of money, and that this can prevent them from participating as they would like.

"These are much more likely to be young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who cannot afford to take part and face the prospect of having nothing to do.

"That's why these pilots are so important in testing different ways of extending the same opportunities to all - opportunities which are not only fun, but can boost young people's confidence and consequently their chances of doing well in life."

The announcement of the pilot scheme, which will run from December until March 2009, comes after research suggested that good schools alone cannot help youngsters from deprived backgrounds succeed.

A report for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said the key is confidence gained from extra-curricular activities.

The Government said about one in four children take part in no such activities.