What' the Matter With Teens Today?

According to a study done in 2007, 48% of high school students have engaged in sexual intercourse, 26% of high school students participate in heavy drinking, 47% of US teens say their social life would end or be worsened without their cell phone, 23% of high school students smoke cigarettes, and children and teenagers spend more than seven and a half hours a day using electronic screens” (SoundVision.com, NewsWeek.com). 

That was way back in 2007. Think about how much the world has changed since then. It's becoming “cool” or “trendy” to drink, smoke, and have sexual relations while in high school. And it seems dangerous to spend over seven and a half hours of screen time a day.  It's hard to go anywhere without having access to some screen. TVs are in offices, cars, waiting rooms, and restaurants. More and more children have access to phones and other electronics at a very young age. Lots of schools use tablets and computers for children to learn, but it's so easy for them to not use them for studying. Some libraries have tablets out to entertain children. Isn't that the nice quiet place to go when you want to read books or study? What has happened to this place?

A couple months ago, I became aware of a problem in today's youth. As I studied things about our Founding Fathers and the Founding documents, the very things that started this wonderful country, I realized how essential it was for people in my generation to know about these topics. Since it is a topic I'm very passionate about, I was aghast at the lack of teaching and understanding that teenagers have these days. If this problem goes on unnoticed, I am concerned that apathy of teenagers about the Constitution, Founding Fathers, and Revolutionary War will be the downfall of this nation. It then made me think more about what 'typical' teens do. What makes people like me different from the norm and the alarming trends listed in the statistics? 

The main difference is that we are productive young adults. Not typical teens.

Coming up...What are productive young adults?

Sources:

Newsweek.com. Web. 13 Mar. 2015. <http://www.newsweek.com/screen-time-makes-tweens-clueless-reading-social-cues-266213>.

"Statistics on Youth in the United States." - SoundVision.com. Web. 13 Mar. 2015. <http://www.soundvision.com/info/teens/youthstats.asp>.