ONE DIRECTION star LOUIS TOMLINSON has stepped up to defend JUSTIN BIEBER in the aftermath of his disastrous trip to Britain, insisting the singer is simply behaving like "any other teenager".

The Baby hitmaker hit headlines for all the wrong reasons during his U.K. visit with antics that included a birthday bust-up with bouncers at a London nightclub and a foul-mouthed altercation with a photographer on Friday (08Mar13).

He also infuriated many fans by leaving them waiting for several hours at the first gig of his residency at the city's O2 Arena, and endured a trip to hospital after suffering breathing difficulties during another show there.

However, Tomlinson is adamant that Bieber, 19, shouldn't be criticized for his behavior as he is just acting like other boys his age.

In a series of posts on Twitter.com, Tomlinson writes, "Although I don't know him personally, I do wish the press would take it easy on Justin Bieber... I really do empathise with him, I don't see anything out of character in comparison to any other teenagers I know."