Salon.com > teens

Florida lawmaker wants to adjust laws used to prosecute teens for consensual sex

Tue, 28 May 2013 15:10:00 +0000

Florida state Sen. Thad Altman would like to adjust the laws being used to prosecute teens for consensual sexual relationships, according to a report from Florida's TCPalm News: "State Sen. Thad Altman thinks the law should provide more forgiveness for teenagers who risk criminal charges by having consensual sexual relationships, like the case pending against 18-year-old Sebastian high school student Kaitlyn Hunt."

Critics of Florida State Attorney Bruce Colton's handling of Hunt's case argue that the felony charges against the high school senior over a same-sex relationship with a 14-year-old freshman classmate are based on laws intended to prosecute adult offenders against minor children, not two high school students in a consensual relationship.

Where do teens go with grief?

Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Hi, Cary

My 15-year-old niece lost her boyfriend a few months ago to cancer. While she's doing pretty well, she feels very lonely. She has friends and a lot of hobbies and activities. I was wondering if you know of a good site for teens that would help her through this difficult time. I'm also in the process of trying to find a therapist for her because I feel a few visits would be a help.

Caring Aunt

Dear Caring Aunt,

Thank you for your letter. Though your niece has friends, she feels lonely. She may not know how to communicate with them about what she is feeling. She may feel they don't understand what she is going through. To some extent, "lonely" may be a catchall word for her, indicating sadness, lack of energy, consciousness of loss, anger, etc. At 15, one's emotional vocabulary is limited. At the same time, she is of course lonely.

She is lonely. She had someone she was with a lot. She had enough human contact. Her boyfriend gave her that. Now he's gone, so of course she feels lonely.

As you probably know, she will have to live with this loss for a while. It will take time for this loss to take its place in her world.

The kids are alright: 3 stories that will restore your faith in teenagers

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:50:00 +0000

It can seem like a terrifying time to be a young person: News of Rehtaeh Parsons' suicide after an alleged gang rape and relentless harassment at the hands of her peers is heartbreaking and outrage-inducing. The shadow of Steubenville hangs heavy while yet another sexual assault case unfolds in a small town in Connecticut. Texas A&M University's Student Senate recently voted to defund gay rights groups on campus.

Awful. All of it.

But there are good stories out there, too. Young people who are doing amazing things in the world, supporting one another, challenging injustice and generally proving that the violent, hateful assholes grabbing headlines right now don't represent their generation. (Assholes rarely do.)

A roundup of some stories that more people should be talking about this week.

CDC report: ADHD diagnosis on the rise in the United States

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:15:00 +0000

According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, close to one in five high school age boys and 11 percent of all school-age children in the United States have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The findings were part of the Centers' study of children and health, in which the agency interviewed more than 76,000 parents across the country.

As The New York Times reports:

The figures showed that an estimated 6.4 million children ages 4 through 17 had received an A.D.H.D. diagnosis at some point in their lives, a 16 percent increase since 2007 and a 53 percent rise in the past decade. About two-thirds of those with a current diagnosis receive prescriptions for stimulants like Ritalin or Adderall, which can drastically improve the lives of those with A.D.H.D. but can also lead to addiction, anxiety and occasionally psychosis.

And as the Times notes, these numbers are likely to grow as the American Psychiatric Association prepares to expand the definition of the disorder, opening up the possibility of medicating many who wouldn't have previously qualified for the diagnosis.

Antiabortion activists block sexual health funding for at-risk teens

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 18:16:00 +0000

Last year, a pair of researchers at North Dakota State University won a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families to start a sexual health program aimed at preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases in at-risk teens.

But as Kate Sheppard at Mother Jones reports, the school had contracted Planned Parenthood to provide the services, and antiabortion activists in the state started complaining about NDSU doing business with the nationwide women's health -- and in states other than North Dakota, abortion services -- provider.

"When I see something that says this is Planned Parenthood — they’re not even a part of the state of North Dakota. They don't serve anyone in North Dakota, and they shouldn't be a part of North Dakota. They're not a part of how we do business in this state," said Rep. Bette Grande on a local radio show denouncing Planned Parenthood and NDSU. "It is an overt abortion industry that we don't want to be a part of," she added.

Report: HPV rates remain high because parents won’t vaccinate

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 22:45:00 +0000

A report published today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute shows that while cancer rates overall continue to decline in the U.S., rates of human papilloma virus-related cancers remain high.

Here's the insane part: This doesn't have to be the case! There is a vaccine that could help stem the number of cancer deaths -- of the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, pharynx, anus and throat -- related to HPV each year. It's just that not enough kids are getting it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began mandating the Gardasil shot for school entry, but parents refused, believing it would only promote sexual activity. (Even though research shows that's not case.) In 2010, fewer than half of girls aged 13-17 had received even one dose of the vaccine, while only 32 percent had received the recommended three doses, according to the report.

Facebook brag about drunk driving gets teen arrested

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 16:06:00 +0000

Teenagers are famous (infamous?) for doing stupid things and bragging about them online. But Oregon teen Jacob Cox-Brown might have gone too far when he posted on Facebook about drunkenly hitting another car and driving off.

"Drivin drunk... classic ;) but to whoever's vehicle i hit i am sorry. :P," the 18-year-old wrote on his Facebook page. His friends might have laughed, but the cops didn't. As the Daily Dot reported:

"Astoria Police have an active social media presence," a press release from the police department trumpeted. "It was a private Facebook message to one of our officers that got this case moving through."

City of Astoria police went to Cox-Brown's home and discovered damage on his vehicle matched that of a report from hit-and-run activity in a nearby neighborhood earlier in the day. He was then arrested and booked on two counts of failing to perform the duties of a driver.

A police spokesperson told local news station KGW-TV that a Facebook post isn't sufficient evidence to charge Cox-Brown for driving while intoxicated, so he'll likely just get a slap on the wrist.

Tween booted off Facebook starts his own social network

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 22:09:00 +0000

Even though he was two years too young to join the social network, 11-year-old Zachary Marks signed up for Facebook, anyway. Less than a week later, this happened:

I spent all my time on the computer chatting with friends. Then, I made mistakes. One of my adult friends cursed and posted something inappropriate, and I cursed back. Also, I friend-requested grownups who I did not know. About a day later, my dad found out. He was really mad. I had to deactivate my account.

And so begins the story of Grom Social, the social networking site for the 15 and under set that Marks founded after being summarily booted from Facebook. Even though there are other kid-friendly networks he could have joined, none really appealed to the preteen. "They were all childish," he told the "Today" show.

Study: Recessions can be hazardous to kids’ health

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:51:00 +0000

A new study in the online edition of JAMA Psychiatry shows that growing up during periods of widespread economic instability can have long-term consequences for kids. Researchers found that babies born during the two great recessions of the 1980s were more likely to develop behavioral problems later in life than those born during boom times.

The study confirms what largely seems like common sense: Financial insecurity is stressful, and anxiety associated with unemployment and low household income can affect how well parents parent. It's easy enough to understand how more time worrying about keeping the lights on could mean less time to focus on helping with homework and strengthening family bonds.

Led by Dr. Seethalakshmi Ramanathan of the State University of New York’s Upstate Medical University, researchers used information about 8,984 youth born between Jan. 1, 1980, and Dec. 31, 1984, as a sample group. As Time magazine reports:

Asian teenagers flock to get “fashion” braces

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 19:46:00 +0000

Braces, long the symbol of nerds, geeks, mouth-breathers and others who dwell at the bottom of the high school food chain, have suddenly become très chic. Well, at least in certain parts of Thailand, Indonesia and Malayasia.

Many teens in Southeast Asia have been shelling out more than $100 for so-called black market braces, mouth gear that doesn't serve any function other than fashion -- and status. While being a brace-face stateside might be a drag, real braces cost close to $1,200 in places like Bangkok, putting dental care far out of reach for the average family. As a result, braces have become a surprising status symbol.

Is your kid an addict?

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 21:25:00 +0000

I know a 23-year-old NYU graduate—I'll call her Sophia—who had an arrangement with her dad when she was in high school: he would buy her booze if she would buy him pot. Since many folks don’t think either pot or alcohol are “hard” drugs, some adults—including Sophia's dad—don’t have a problem with such boundary-crossing bartering. For my friend, however, it created a number of conflicts: for one thing, it meant Sophia was dealing in illegal drugs, and exposing herself to prosecution for felony crimes. For another, it meant she got a clear message from her father that teenage drinking isn’t harmful.

So began Sophia’s drinking career as a young teenager. In high school she drank hard and hung out with likeminded kids. Her grades dropped, and her parents switched her school and put her in therapy—perhaps her father couldn’t imagine what might be leading his daughter to “act out.”

Should teens be screened for drug use?

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:00:00 +0000

This just in: Teenagers experiment with sex, alcohol and drugs. But for the first time, the American Academy of Pediatrics now boldly recommends that adolescents be routinely screened for illicit-substance use and HIV. The policy statements suggest doctors test kids 16 and up for HIV in communities where more than 0.1 percent of the population has the virus -- regardless of whether the patient admits to being sexually active. It also states that doctors should ask teens about drug, alcohol and nicotine use at every visit. But while a routine HIV test is a fairly straightforward, judgment-free process, frank conversation is another one altogether. Are parents and pediatricians ready to get frank with teenagers about their recreational activities?

Can a gay musical stamp out bullying?

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:00:00 +0000

Can a little musical theater and some same-sex kissing help stamp out bullying? Earlier this month, students at Hartford Public High in Connecticut attended a production at their school. But this wasn't some amateur attempt at "Guys and Dolls." Instead, it was the "musical fairy tale" "Zanna, Don't!" -- a show that's even gayer than "Cats."

The action takes place in the imaginary land of Heartsville, U.S.A, where straightness is unusual and heterophobia is common -- until an opposite sex-oriented high school couple challenge the gods. The Connecticut production, mounted by the Hartford community leadership group Quest and the LGBT organization True Colors, featured local high school and college students in the cast. And when two of the male leads engaged in a brief liplock during the first show, several dozen audience members – notably a bunch wearing the school's football jerseys – stormed out in protest. Principal Adam Johnson told CBS that "It was almost a symbolic kind of thing." And the Hartford Courant noted pointedly that a later girl-on-girl smooch was "cheered among students." America, we still have work to do.