Teens aren’t as depraved as you thought . . .

Conservative preachers and others lamenting the moral depravity of today’s youth and the general breakdown of American society might note some positive news on this front:
Seems that fewer teens are indulging in risky behaviors such as drinking and unprotected sex than teens did 15 years ago, according to a new survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And more teens are buckling up, too, when driving.
The news fits with other reported long-range trends: The use of illegal drugs by teens has dropped by 19 percent since 2001, and teen smoking has been cut in half since the late 1990s. America is also witnessing a sharp drop in teen crime and a continued 12-year decline in the teen birth rate.
There is still bad news. But these stats provide some hard evidence that many kids are making good choices and our nation isn’t on the verge of moral collapse.
posted by Randy Scholfield

7 Comments

  1. Jed
    Posted June 12, 2006 at 12:52 am | Permalink

    Oh my gosh! You mean the country isn’t going to hell in a handbasket? What will all those preachers do for jobs now?

  2. Allie
    Posted June 12, 2006 at 1:11 am | Permalink

    Undo all success by instituting abstinence only and getting rid of drug education.

  3. kansassam
    Posted June 12, 2006 at 5:12 am | Permalink

    My generation has given them such a good example of a bad example. In other words, they can see first hand the consequences of living an immoral, self-destructive lifestyle and they are choosing to not follow that path. Good for them!

  4. Outlander
    Posted June 12, 2006 at 7:31 am | Permalink

    Jed: Did you ever think that churches may have had some part in helping out? Our church youth program makes it a focus to help kids stay out of trouble.

    Maybe it was a team effort with along with parents and educators. Regardless there remains a lot to be done. But let’s not use good news to make snide comments.

  5. Damoon
    Posted June 12, 2006 at 8:16 am | Permalink

    I think teens today are much more focused on world issues and their responsibility to come up with solutions. They are less materialistic than we were and more aware of the consequences of irresponsible behavior towards the environment and their fellow man. They also seem more open minded, tolerant, and less judgemntal of others. I feel hopeful about the future, I think we may have some great leaders coming up.

  6. RD
    Posted June 12, 2006 at 2:32 pm | Permalink

    Apparently they don’t know some of the teens I know. I truly hope the tide is turning and teens are becoming more informed about everything. We have been making steps in that direction. But I also see that those on the other end of the spectrum are some of the worst ever.

  7. Damoon
    Posted June 13, 2006 at 8:21 am | Permalink

    RD, there have always been those on the other end of the spectrum, and they’re the ones who get the attention, so they stand out. I think there is a lot of good in the generation coming up. I see young people today doing so many positive things that no one in my generation could have dreamed of.