Allowing teens to drink backfires.
Parents begin to worry as prom night approaches. They are worried about what might happen during after hour parties. Some parents might be tempted to try to teach their high schoolers to drink responsibly – by allowing them to consume alcohol under supervision.
Teenagers report overwhelming cravings when deprived of their laptops and cell phones.
Researchers found 79 per cent of students subjected to a complete media blackout for just one day reported adverse reactions ranging from distress to confusion and isolation.
Teens don’t want to miss emergency texts, even late-arriving ones.
10th-grader Ashley Olafsson sleeps with her cellphone under her pillow so she doesn’t miss “emergency’’ texts — “like if a friend broke up with her boyfriend.’’ Stephanie Kimball of Waltham, 14, is also available for urgent overnight correspondence, such as, “Hey, seeing if you’re awake.’’ Dedham ninth-grader Courtney Johnson gets as many as 100 texts while in bed. “I just don’t feel like myself if I don’t have my phone near me or I’m not on it,’’ she said.
Continue reading… “Texting Teens Exhausted by Being ‘On Call’ All Night”
Teens can resist the temptation for risky behavior.
Teenagers become more able to resist the urge to take part in risky behavior as their brains develop, not less, a study indicates. MRI scans of boys’ and girls’ brains aged 10 and 13 show that activity in a part of the pre-frontal cortex tasked with deciding whether or not to take risks, called the ventral striatum, increases significantly.
Experts say this generation may be more cautious than their predecessors
Fewer teens and young adults are having sex, a government survey shows, and theories abound why. Experts say this generation may be more cautious than their predecessors, more aware of sexually transmitted diseases. Or perhaps the emphasis on abstinence in the past decade has had some influence.
Continue reading… “Fewer Teens in the U.S. Are Having Sex”
Children and adolescents noticed the calories posted on the menu but the calorie counts made little difference.
Requiring fast-food restaurants in New York City to post calorie counts on menus did little to cut the number of calories children and teens consumed, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
Girl gamers are better behaved when they play video games with their parents.
Girls who play video games with their parents are generally better behaved and showed lower rates of depression than those who don’t, according to a study.
Continue reading… “Teen Girls Who Play Video Games with Their Parents are Better Behaved”
Too many text messages and social networking linked to risky behavior.
Parents of text-crazed teenagers might have more to be concerned about than sky-high cell phone bills, according to a Case Western Reserve University study that links excessive use of popular high-tech communications to risky health behaviors.
Continue reading… “Hyper-Texting Linked to Risky Behavior in Teenagers”
Teen birthrate drops to lowest level since the government started tracking it.
The U.S. teen birthrate dropped to its lowest level in the seven decades government researchers have been tracking it, government researchers said on Tuesday.
Continue reading… “U.S. Teen Birthrate Hits New Low”
Overweight teens showing signs of heart disease.
Obese children are showing signs of heart disease at the age of 15, researchers warn. A study has revealed that being overweight throughout adolescence sows the seeds of ill-health for decades to come.
Continue reading… “Overweight Children Showing Signs of Heart Disease by Age 15”
The number of texts by teens on the rise.
If you needed more proof that texting is on the rise, here’s a stat for you: the average teenager sends over 3,000 texts per month. That’s more than six texts per waking hour.
Continue reading… “The Average Teenager Sends 3,339 Texts a Month”
Students with an average BMI of 23 received assistance from parents to purchase a car.
Parents may be less willing to shell out the cash to help their child buy a car if that child is overweight or obese, new research shows. The findings provide yet more evidence that heavier people face discrimination on many fronts, Amanda Kraha and Dr. Adriel Boals of the University of North Texas in Denton conclude in their report.
Continue reading… “Overweight Kids Get Less Help From the Family With Buying a Car”
