June 20, 2005
Abusive Dating
13% of teen girls have been physically abused by a boyfriend.
26% were repeatedly verbally abused.
25% were forced to engage in sexual activity.
More than half of America's teens know a friend who has been abused in some way by their significant other. (Reuters, June 9, 2005)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 08:48 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 05, 2005
The Amazing Volunteer Teenagers
About how many hours per year do you volunteer?
37% - More than 60 hours
35% - 20 to 39 hours
15% - Fewer than 20 hours
13% - 40 to 59 hours
(USA Today, April 24, 2005)
What's especially cool is that today's teens are volunteering more than teens ever have—going back through the entire 50-year history of volunteer statistics.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 10:39 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 04, 2005
Teens and Too Much Information
Teen blogging can be a fun way to connect with friends, but giving out too much information can invite trouble.
70% give out their first name
67% their age
61% their contact info
59% their location
44% e-mail address & IM screen name
39% their birth date
20% their full name
It maybe something as innocent as mentioning your school mascot, but it means your online persona is no longer private. Anyone could track you down, and that could be dangerous. There's nothing wrong with blogging, just be careful how much information you give to the world. (link via YS Update)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 02:56 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 22, 2005
Generation Rx: Teens Abusing Prescription Drugs
Percentage of teens who have ever tried:
37% - Marijuana
19% - Inhalants
18% - Vicodin*
10% - OxyContin*
10% - Ritalin/Adderall*
9% - Cough Medicine
9% - Crack/Cocaine
9% - Ecstasy
8% - Meth
While the rise in prescription drug abuse is perplexing, there is good news: Marijuana, tobacco and alcohol abuse are all down.
(*without a doctor's prescription, Partnership for a Drug Free America)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 08:21 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 07, 2005
Teens School Their Parents
36% of high school seniors smoked in 1975.
16% of high school seniors smoked in 2004.
20 - Babies born per 1,000 teens in 1992.
11 - Babies born per 1,000 teens in 2004.
37% of high school seniors engaged in binge drinking in 1975.
29% of high school seniors engaged in binge drinking in 2004.
31 - Violent criminal offenders per 1,000 teens in 1973.
8 - Violent criminal offenders per 1,000 teens in 2003.
In case you're not catching the trend, teens today doing better than their parents. Way to go. But there is a downside:
5% of children were obese in 1975.
16% of children were obese in 2003.
17% of children lived in single-parent households in 1975.
28% of children lived in single-parent households in 2003.
Of course neither of these are a direct result of a single decision by teens (the second set of numbers also seems to include all kids, not just teens). But smoking, drinking, sex and violent crime are definitely choices in your hands. Good to see more and more teens are making the smart choices. (Chicago Sun-Times, March 30, 2005 - subscription required)
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April 05, 2005
Everyone Is Not Doing It
70% of girls ages 13-20 say they are virgins.
(ElleGirl, April 2005)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 04:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Cell Phones: Everybody But Me
35% of 12-15 year-olds had a cell phone in 2004.
58% of 16-17 year-olds had one.
62% of 18-19 year-olds had one.
(Teen Research Unlimited)
Yikes. Me and my land line are feeling stubbornly old. Though quite frankly, I like being unreachable.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 04:11 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 28, 2005
Talking: Boys vs. Girls
7,000 - average number of words girls say per day.
2,000 - average number of words guys say per day.
(Sweet 16, April/May 2005)
Being a guy, I guess I don't have much to say about this.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 04:36 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack