What do you think the biggest issues with todays youth are?

[Hypatia]

In today's world what do you think the biggest issues that face the youth are?

[Hakuchuumu]

Childhood obesity. I know a lot of people who suffer from it. Quite a few in my own family. Personally I think if you lock children outside for hours at a time like I was when I was a child, this problem wouldn't be so large. But parents just have the tendency to sit their kids in front of the tv these days. And then they're brainwashed with advertisements about food and nifty toys. When I was younger, I seriously use to see kids outside all the time. Now I hardly see any..Around here, anyway.

Also, the proportion sizes aren't considered 'enough' anymore. Your body actually only needs a little bit of everything, but we tend to feel that more is better when actually less is just as satisfying if we enjoy it rather than shove it down our throats. And I know this is going to sound a bit stupid to some people, but I think that making the time to actually sit down and have dinner with your kids helps prevent overeating. Or putting out what they can have. Being more aware of what they put in their mouths. When you tell a kid to fend for themselves, most of the time they're going to get what they want rather than what's good for them.

Eh, I don't know. I just know around here it's a big problem.



Also, fitting the image. I have a friend who refuses to eat now because she thinks she's not slim enough. :/ She's a size 6ish. But unless she's a 0-2, she wont feel good enough. I know sometimes I feel that way as well. It's very frustrating when you don't feel like you're attractive enough or you feel you're worthless because you can't see your bones popping out. I personally think women with a little more meat are sexy. But I often don't think the same way when looking at my own body.

Also..My other friend and I went shopping for jeans once. At a store that normally had nice fitting jeans in all sizes. I picked up a size 9 and it had to literally be a size 2. It said size 9. The tag inside said 9. But it was no where near a size 9. I'm aware that many brands are a different fit when compared to others. Sometimes it varies a size or two. But to be called a size 9 and fit a person who wears a size 2. That's ridiculous.

I use to suffer from anorexia in my earlier teen years. I've since then recovered, but at times still have that mentality. So when I run into these types of situations, it really mind-****s me and I'm left feeling disgusting.

I just think kids these days should feel beautiful, no matter what they look like. I know I'm concerned with situations like obesity. But the obesity concern is more twoards the health aspect rather than what they look like or what size they can wear. Being extremely large or extremely skinny is not healthy in most to all cases.

[Skylar1]

The problem is there is far too much focus on achiving outragous and normally unobtainable goals as projected by todays media geared at youth. If you listen to what some of music choices kids like to listen to, you'll see that a lot of them are all about "getting rich and becoming famous". Things that most kids and teens just aren't capible of doing. Once they figure out they can't achive those goals, it can become terriblly frusrating and depressing. Kids should be having fun with friends and stuff, not worrying about "being rich and famous as soon as possible".

[Forgotten Show]

Without a doubt, sex, and all of its constituent issues.


Bad Memory

[Hypatia]

I just think kids these days should feel beautiful, no matter what they look like. I know I'm concerned with situations like obesity. But the obesity concern is more twoards the health aspect rather than what they look like or what size they can wear. Being extremely large or extremely skinny is not healthy in most to all cases.
One looks at other people an compares themselves to that person. Its all about you size and not you health i think that that is wrong.

[3pleT]

Without a doubt, sex, and all of its constituent issues.
In what way and why is it without a doubt? I kinda want to understand the whole American violence-more-acceptable-than-sex world view.

[DOOM!]

They're plugged on OS 10.1 which has more security and lesser features than our old OS 1.5.

[Eris]

Without a doubt, sex, and all of its constituent issues.


Bad Memory

How do you figure? Young people are having exceedingly little sex nowadays, compared to historical rates.

[Condey]

Also, fitting the image. I have a friend who refuses to eat now because she thinks she's not slim enough. :/ She's a size 6ish. But unless she's a 0-2, she wont feel good enough. I know sometimes I feel that way as well. It's very frustrating when you don't feel like you're attractive enough or you feel you're worthless because you can't see your bones popping out. I personally think women with a little more meat are sexy. But I often don't think the same way when looking at my own body.

Also..My other friend and I went shopping for jeans once. At a store that normally had nice fitting jeans in all sizes. I picked up a size 9 and it had to literally be a size 2. It said size 9. The tag inside said 9. But it was no where near a size 9. I'm aware that many brands are a different fit when compared to others. Sometimes it varies a size or two. But to be called a size 9 and fit a person who wears a size 2. That's ridiculous

I know where you're coming from. When I was younger, I had a friend who always brought me and a couple of friends to her house everyday and fed us. We always just assumed she was really generous until she was hospitalized. It turned out she was feeding us the food that her parents had set out for her (she had sort of a quota she had to fill because her parents were worried about her weight) so that she could avoid eating it. The worst part was that I think this was when we were about 13-14 and I was completely shocked to think that someone in my age group could actually suffer from that problem. Even to this day I have kind of hard time accepting that a girl that young could be so deeply affected by her self-image.

[sa5m]

Internet. Wide-spread information that is easily accessible to youngsters. Stupid kids being attacked by online predators.

[Anime Forum]

Internet. Wide-spread information that is easily accessible to youngsters. Stupid kids being attacked by online predators.


I fully agree with you, especially with how naive younger kids could be and how easily tricked and maniuplated they can be.

[Skylar1]

Internet. Wide-spread information that is easily accessible to youngsters.
The pros outweigh the cons on this one.

Having access to a near infinite reservoir of information allows people to get the facts and figure out questions they may have a lighting speed. Now people don't have to sit there and wonder if this fact or that fact is correct or not; they can just google it. The internet also renders most all propaganda technincs powerless.

[Hypatia]

The pros outweigh the cons on this one.

Having access to a near infinite reservoir of information allows people to get the facts and figure out questions they may have a lighting speed. Now people don't have to sit there and wonder if this fact or that fact is correct or not; they can just google it. The internet also renders most all propaganda technincs powerless.
True but you can limit the amout of sites that young children can visit.

[Vyndrasta]

In today's world what do you think the biggest issues that face the youth are?

That would be common sense.

[Zandan]

Youth as in children? Or adolescents?

Well, I think the biggest issue children face today is too much 'protection'.

Idiot people are too concerned with 'innocence of youth' that they go overboard trying to 'protect' them. 20 years ago a father could kiss his kid before he got on the bus to go to elementary school, now a father can't even hug his child without some idiot screaming sexual abuse.

Southern California banned dictionaries from elementary schools for having the definition of 'oral sex'. Are you freakin' serious!? It just gave the definition 'oral stimulation of the genitals' and that is somehow too much for children. Hell, when I was 6 I already knew was sex was. I saw my first porn when I was 8, although I didn't know what it was at the time.

Stupid idiots think they are helping children but it will hurt them in the long run. I said this before in another thread, if stuff like that continues, those children will be lost later in life when the idiots that 'protect' them don't care about them anymore.

Teenagers...the biggest problem, well for any youth age group really, in America is the education system. Public school is filled to the brim with government propaganda and idiot teachers that don't even know what the hell they are teaching. I passed all my high school classes with As and Bs and I slept in nearly every class nearly everyday. I never did homework and I still Aced the tests, you know why? Because I learned the stuff these high school teachers were teaching in middle school. And people were having trouble with the subjects...I wanted to get up and smack anyone asking a question when the answer was as easy as solving 1+1. Pissed me off to no end.

[Forgotten Show]

In what way and why is it without a doubt? I kinda want to understand the whole American violence-more-acceptable-than-sex world view.

For the sake of argument, I am assuming that youth = ages 10-17.

Adolescents and children are still poorly educated about sex; avoidance of the subject is the most popular way of talking about it. Most of what adolescents and children learn about sex is not coming from their parents but from their peers and from various media outlets. The quick-and-dirty formula for these problems is: when all kids are hearing is how to have it, their primary authority figures aren't imparting on them when to have it, and children see increasing amounts of unstructured (often unsupervised) free time, "things" occur.

Speaking of which, the concept of censorship also plays a big role in this (yes, what I did was intentional, and also a reference to Zandan's post above), as does the more general idea of "banning" behavior or dialog about behavior. We know that putting bans on behavior rarely work, and in children (even younger than the age group I identified earlier) it's been known to increase interest as the child is still learning its boundaries. Given the age group we're talking about, kids are now also becoming interested in sex in the first place.

But wait, there's more! We haven't even touched on the issues of childhood pregnancies, sexually-transmitted diseases, peer and authority-figure response to the admission of sex, pregnancies, and STDs, institutional response to all three, or the handful of other things I forgot to mention.

Hopefully this wasn't too convoluted, but sex as an issue is a complicated, and important, one for American youth.



How do you figure? Young people are having exceedingly little sex nowadays, compared to historical rates.

This may be true in Europe, but it is not in the United States. The rate of increase has decreased, but adolescents are still having more sex and sooner now than in the past. This is one of the biggest issues being studied by developmental psychologists right now, especially the study of young girls reaching puberty sooner. I can't seem to find my notes on this right now but I'll do some huntin' for 'em later.


Bad Memory

[Eris]

This may be true in Europe, but it is not in the United States. The rate of increase has decreased, but adolescents are still having more sex and sooner now than in the past. This is one of the biggest issues being studied by developmental psychologists right now, especially the study of young girls reaching puberty sooner. I can't seem to find my notes on this right now but I'll do some huntin' for 'em later.


Bad Memory

This article begs to differ (http://www.pflagsanjose.org/advocacy/hist.html). Relevant portions being

Throughout most of the 19th century, the minimum age of consent for sexual intercourse in most American states was 10 years. In Delaware it was only 7 years.

As late as 1930, twelve states allowed boys as young as 14 and girls as young as 12 to marry (with parental consent).



Though that article seems a bit fishy (possibly confusing the years?). Here's another one (http://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/teaching-modules/230) that seems more balanced. It claims

... England raised the age to 13 years; an act of sexual intercourse with a girl younger than 13 was a felony. In the U.S., each state determined its own criminal law and age of consent ranged from 10 to 12 years of age.

[Cobra Commander]

I think the lack of education on the matter is our main problem when it comes to sex. We teach abstinence when we should teach safety and responsibility.

For soon-to-be graduates, the economy looms large on their horizon, as they'll be competing with just about everyone for that first job.

Otherwise, it's this padded environment we try to raise them in, where everyone is a special winner and life is fair.

Health is the other one, I agree with the post above about obesity. We don't teach kids how to eat, and we've probably forgotten how. This lifestyle of big macs and junk food has got to stop.

[Vyndrasta]

Also to prove it, if you see a young child/adolescent in failblog.org...then yes your answer is already there.

[Gjallarhorn]

The desire to learn, or lack there of. And in the US, this is facilitated by a poor education system, in general, which puts more emphasis on homework and standardized tests than an education that is actually useful in readying students for the future.

[The Butcher]

Okay,I'm going to keep my rant as short as possible.

The kids are not reading,they are only reading 1-3 out 3 book series own their own time,and they are the big 3(Harry Potter,Twilight,and Eragon),the kids who read these things think that is the only good book out there,because they only hear about the very popular ones.They do not consider other books like:
The Dresden Files
Dexter Morgan Series
Harry Bosch Series
Meg Series
Lincoln Rhyme Series
And much,much more.

Why do the kids think this?Because of the School Board,they make us read some of the most craptastic books I have ever seen in my life!Books like:
Things Fall Apart
Night
Where The Lilies Bloom
Also much,much more.
It's okay to kill people and cut their heads off in the book,they just can't curse much.We are not Elementary School kids anymore!!!Even the kids in 5th grade watched Friday the 13th uncut I bet. So it would not effect us to see someone die,butchered,raped etc.

You see Mystery would be a great thing to show the kids,what people lurk out there. Also,do you know what kind of shows are top notch on Television?That's right Mystery. Kids have a fascination of learning about killers,what they do,why they do it,how they do it etc.

Sorry for the big rant,I just think if people read stuff like American Psycho they would love reading.

[AnswerBAK]

Youngsters have no fear....
They think they can't be touched they seem to have the "it won't happen to me" attitude and this limits them. My little brother got bullied in school by another student in his class(his math teachers son) and he complained to the pricipal and no punnishment was implemented. Thats no kind of example to set.

[Buruku]

The sense of entitlement, and the impression that everything is just going to be handed to them without having to work for it. This has gotten progressively worse since the 50's when society became very focused around children, (not entirely a bad thing, just this particular side affect).

Oh, and "lets show our boobies on the webcam with the entire world!!" Girls don't know the meaning of real femininity anymore, and think acting like sluts is some kind of female empowerment.

Oh the list could go on.

[John Watson]

-The temptations of sexy time and teenage pregnancy.
-Not finishing school, dropping out, etc

[Wio]

Inconsistency.
They are told:
to be humble and to be proud
to think before leaping and to hesitate is to be lost
to dream big and not to do anything impracticable
to do everything in moderation but never do anything half-appled
to never give up and to be willing to change
to be involved and not to get into other's business
to be cautious and to take risks

Perhaps this is inescapable, but I think it would be great if we erased nominative statements from the classroom. Is it absolutely necessary that we tell whether a president was good or bad or whether a decision in history was right or wrong? Can we trust that youths will be able to create their own ethical compass autonomously?

[Forgotten Show]

This article begs to differ (http://www.pflagsanjose.org/advocacy/hist.html). Relevant portions being

Throughout most of the 19th century, the minimum age of consent for sexual intercourse in most American states was 10 years. In Delaware it was only 7 years.

As late as 1930, twelve states allowed boys as young as 14 and girls as young as 12 to marry (with parental consent).



Though that article seems a bit fishy (possibly confusing the years?). Here's another one (http://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/teaching-modules/230) that seems more balanced. It claims

... England raised the age to 13 years; an act of sexual intercourse with a girl younger than 13 was a felony. In the U.S., each state determined its own criminal law and age of consent ranged from 10 to 12 years of age.

Changes in age of consent and marriage laws are not indicative of what age people are actually having sex... but my response is not a historical document either. I did not include the behaviors of several hundred years ago in Europe in my description or of the earlier stages of US history because they are not relevant to current trends. Sexuality as a whole is also vastly different now than it was even half a century ago.


Bad Memory

[Wio]

How do you figure? Young people are having exceedingly little sex nowadays, compared to historical rates.
Hmmm, the problem isn't so much the sex, but the sex in combination with welfare. In the past, your screwing up didn't end up getting payed for by your neighbor. As a result, your neighbor might comment on your lack of responsibility, but in the end they didn't have to be responsible for your choices and so it was a non-issue.

[Diocletian]

This article begs to differ. Relevant portions being

Throughout most of the 19th century, the minimum age of consent for sexual intercourse in most American states was 10 years. In Delaware it was only 7 years.

As late as 1930, twelve states allowed boys as young as 14 and girls as young as 12 to marry (with parental consent).



Though that article seems a bit fishy (possibly confusing the years?). Here's another one that seems more balanced. It claims

... England raised the age to 13 years; an act of sexual intercourse with a girl younger than 13 was a felony. In the U.S., each state determined its own criminal law and age of consent ranged from 10 to 12 years of age.

People now WANT to have sex at all costs nowadays. Whether it's legal or not has nothing to do with it. Not to mention just because something is legal does not constitute whether it was a popular activity.

Women wise, the lack of respect for themselves. Now that I actually pay attention to my surroundings, all I hear is women be vulgar to each other and talk about how they sleep around with men. The whole "live for the moment because whatever happens, happens" mentality is what is driving our society into a rut.

[3pleT]

For the sake of argument, I am assuming that youth = ages 10-17.


Adolescents and children are still poorly educated about sex; avoidance of the subject is the most popular way of talking about it. Most of what adolescents and children learn about sex is not coming from their parents but from their peers and from various media outlets. The quick-and-dirty formula for these problems is: when all kids are hearing is how to have it, their primary authority figures aren't imparting on them when to have it, and children see increasing amounts of unstructured (often unsupervised) free time, "things" occur.

Speaking of which, the concept of censorship also plays a big role in this (yes, what I did was intentional, and also a reference to Zandan's post above), as does the more general idea of "banning" behavior or dialog about behavior. We know that putting bans on behavior rarely work, and in children (even younger than the age group I identified earlier) it's been known to increase interest as the child is still learning its boundaries. Given the age group we're talking about, kids are now also becoming interested in sex in the first place.

But wait, there's more! We haven't even touched on the issues of childhood pregnancies, sexually-transmitted diseases, peer and authority-figure response to the admission of sex, pregnancies, and STDs, institutional response to all three, or the handful of other things I forgot to mention.

Hopefully this wasn't too convoluted, but sex as an issue is a complicated, and important, one for American youth.

Let's see if I got this clearly:
1. You have a problem with parents "protecting" their children instead of introducing them to the concept of sex?
2. You believe that censorship actually causes more harm than the pornography itself?
3. You believe the psychological scarring that sex may cause is not nearly as bad as most people think?

If you answered yes to all of those questions, I completely agree.

[The Wing Man]

There is nothing original these days, the youth has to deal with everyone trying to bring the past back because we have nothing new that is interesting.

[Stripes]

I think the biggest problem is that they do everything adults do...I mean, they are no longer kids...and they don't have an inch of innocence.......believe me....and this is the case with most of the children...they develop all the negative around them, they don't have the sense to differentiate between the right and wrong...now, kids don't have that sense, i know...but the thing is that they know what is wrong and what is right but they are too weak to stand firm on their values and get carried away very often... they do things they shouldn't which ultimately have drastic results but they still don't understand this. They don't give up at all and cause even more harm to themselves, their surroundings..everyone..

This is the problem with most youths these days..

[Eris]

Changes in age of consent and marriage laws are not indicative of what age people are actually having sex... but my response is not a historical document either. I did not include the behaviors of several hundred years ago in Europe in my description or of the earlier stages of US history because they are not relevant to current trends. Sexuality as a whole is also vastly different now than it was even half a century ago.


Bad Memory

The problem is that any and all documentation of the American '50s is by definition biased towards an adjusted christian and right-wing version, thanks to J. Edgar Hoover, Senator McCarthy and their cohorts harassing and black-listing more or less anyone that didn't see fit to agree with said vision.

Though I agree with the existence of a sexual revolution in the 20th century. But it's not a move towards something new, it's really a step back to how it's always been. Before the later half of the 19th century, sex and prostitution was quite rampant, and people were doing it like no tomorrow.

[shinjuuzumaki13]

-childhood obesity
-drugs
-peer pressure
- sex
-"fitting the image"
-alcohol
-sexual predators on the internet
- lacking public education

[Zedekiah]

Now people don't have to sit there and wonder if this fact or that fact is correct or not; they can just google it.

I've seen many a youtube flame war go down on this basis, and more importantly, having a handful of Google "facts" coupled up with the "it r my opiniun an dats wat matars u cant take my truf awei from mi" makes whatever info there is out there obsolete to the sheer ignorance of its users.

And what I'd like to point out being kids' problem is the inability to differ between dreamy goals and a pragmatic reality.

Not to mention the moral decay that comes from trying to make everyday life exciting by breaking rules that are, pretty much, only there for your own good.

My gramps liked to say: "The only thing to follow you throughout all of life is a bad reputation."

Though my opinion might be biased by coming out of the most promiscuous place on Earth as it stands. (http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article444475.ece)
Which, as I recall, when my mother was studying in France during the late 60's, she had to avoid her Norwegian friends, as to not be associated with them, and was told by her French friends to not let the men know they were Scandinavian. It was more or less synonymous with "free quickies".

[Miss Moonlight]

This will be short:

Lack of imagination.

Way too much materialism, which leads to them being spoiled brats (although that exists in adults as well, of course)

Too much goddamn Hanna Montana.

[Gero50]

That is hard to say cause everyone seems to have different thoughts on this matter. I think it is the censorship these TV and other programs are doing to them. It is blacking them from the troth and causing them to perhaps gain false hope or something to that effect.

[-GAZKUL-]

TOO MUCH TECHNOLOGY IS BAD i think that technology shopuld be less complex, i dont understand half the things my friends say these days- RAM?, Megapixels? seriously WTF?!

[Gero50]

TOO MUCH TECHNOLOGY IS BAD i think that technology shopuld be less complex, i dont understand half the things my friends say these days- RAM?, Megapixels? seriously WTF?!
They are just terms. Plus it is only going to be more and more impotent to know a lot about technology as the years go by. Our kids should be brought up on it like a second language.

[Hypatia]

There is lack discipline and parents want to be their childs friend therefore a child is free to whatever they want. Parents often get involved in there childrens little fights so how is a child soposed to learn to fend for themselves. this could lead to bigger problems in the future.

[Sakura Holic]

[Pet... peeve kicking in... I can't help it... I know its like... Idol worship psychology explanation thingy to it but... I just cant stand it....]

Kids getting interested in things for the wrong reasons.... I.E

"BECUZ ITS KEWL YOOOO!! LOOK AT ME I'M DOIN IT AIITEEE?!"

Uh huh....Next?

[Hypatia]

Youngsters have no fear....
They think they can't be touched they seem to have the "it won't happen to me" attitude and this limits them. My little brother got bullied in school by another student in his class(his math teachers son) and he complained to the pricipal and no punnishment was implemented. Thats no kind of example to set.
You are very right no one thinks that bad things can happen to them.
When ther is something that is being done wrong a child needs to be punished and if they dont then there could be many people that will have to suffer. That brings me back to the lack of discipline.

[Gero50]

You are very right no one thinks that bad things can happen to them.
When ther is something that is being done wrong a child needs to be punished and if they dont then there could be many people that will have to suffer. That brings me back to the lack of discipline.
It is true you need to punish your kids from time to time but not to harshly. I've heard of some pretty interesting things some parents do to their kids when they misbehave. Most of which I'd never even think of doing.

[Hypatia]

It is true you need to punish your kids from time to time but not to harshly. I've heard of some pretty interesting things some parents do to their kids when they misbehave. Most of which I'd never even think of doing.
Im not saying harshly punish them im saying that you have to correct them when they are wrong.

[Skylar1]

Im not saying harshly punish them im saying that you have to correct them when they are wrong.

Ah, but you must be very careful as to how you correct them.

As an Imprimer, you must always stay mindful that the child's vaules and goals and idiology in life are directly related to how you give praise and deter by bringing shame.

Even the smallest most insignificant disipline of an action can change a child's entire outlook on life.

You may -think- your raising you kid well, but then wonder dumbfoundly why when they are adults they are completely opposite in idiology from you.


An example:


little sally builds a birthday cake made of mud. She learns to use a spoon as opposed to a fork to better scoop the mud. Her pleasure of sucess with using the spoon to scoop mud makes her happy.

All finished playing, little sally goes home and is scolded by her mother for being covered in mud. Sally now feels shame for her action, and now will remember to not play in mud so as to not feel her mother's shame.


IF Sally's mother had -not- told her that playing in mud was wrong and instead praised her use of imagination, little Sally would have grown up to be an advance building planner.

[poshyterra]

lack of discipline. i'm not going to lie, i have no reason to lie to you , i was disciplined by my mom and older sister. i wasn't abused, i was disciplined. i had no bruises, never was punched... DISCIPLINE.

today, a parent can't lay a finger on their kid without it being called child abuse and that is a heaping load of crap. i'm glad my mom smacked my butt when i was little for not listening or making messes. otherwise, God knows where i'd be at. hey, when you're two and have a diaper or pull-up on, how much of that do you really feel?

i'm not saying go all out and beat the living hell out of your children. no. people who abuse children are the worst of all humans. i'm saying discipline them. how you define those limits i'm not sure, but there are limits.

[Hypatia]

Ah, but you must be very careful as to how you correct them.

As an Imprimer, you must always stay mindful that the child's vaules and goals and idiology in life are directly related to how you give praise and deter by bringing shame.

Even the smallest most insignificant disipline of an action can change a child's entire outlook on life.

You may -think- your raising you kid well, but then wonder dumbfoundly why when they are adults they are completely opposite in idiology from you.


An example:


little sally builds a birthday cake made of mud. She learns to use a spoon as opposed to a fork to better scoop the mud. Her pleasure of sucess with using the spoon to scoop mud makes her happy.

All finished playing, little sally goes home and is scolded by her mother for being covered in mud. Sally now feels shame for her action, and now will remember to not play in mud so as to not feel her mother's shame.


IF Sally's mother had -not- told her that playing in mud was wrong and instead praised her use of imagination, little Sally would have grown up to be an advance building planner.
Yes it is vital that a child learns to use his or her imagination. Parents dont alway understand that. When dealing with young children you cant just scold them for everything you have to understand that they are young children and they will get dirty. how you discipline a child depnds alot on the age of a child as well.

[Skylar1]

Yes it is vital that a child learns to use his or her imagination. Parents dont alway understand that. When dealing with young children you cant just scold them for everything you have to understand that they are young children and they will get dirty. hoe you discipline a child depnds alot on the age of a child as well.

It goes much farther than that too!

The reasons why people end up being liberal/conservative, pro-life/pro-choice, optimistic/pesimistic, capitalist/socialist, emotional/hard-shelled, etc. all goes back to those tiny little moment in childhood that go as far back as only 3 MONTHS of age!


Every single member of my family is at least moderately conservative and religious. And I am a Radical-Left, Socialist, Progressive-Liberal, Secular-Atheist.

[Gero50]

Im not saying harshly punish them im saying that you have to correct them when they are wrong.
That is true any good parent needs to know how to properly handle that in their own way.

[Megamind's Minion]

the whole issue on sex still depends on parents upbringing...
and sex itself is not a problem...
it's the consequence of sex that is....
- issues on STD's
- teenage pregnancy
- and the rest that follows after that...

the problem of today's youth is lack of responsibility on the actions that they make...
being responsible for your actions means that you have to way the pros and cons of every decision that you make and if you made the wrong decision you must stand up for it that's why you should not let others make decisions for you so that you will not be blamed for anything other doing the wrong the decision on your own..
which is better than being nagged why you patterned your actions to this or that,...

so if you, youth, decided to engage in sex, in internet pornography, in drugs, and in violence-related scenarios....

STOP and think of what will your action result into if ever you do...
-effect on society
-on your parents
-on yourself, you're whole being...
-health
-morals
-ideals
and your future will be totally at stake here...

so STOP and ask: is it because it's fun, it's okay?!..
the answer is stiil for the youth to decide since we cannot control human behaviour and decisions at that...

[GameGeeks]

The usual, sex, drugs and technology.

[Faceless111]

This thread need not exist. It's common knowledge that today's youth's biggest problem is that they do not know the original 151 pokemon by heart.

[BurntHouse]

This thread need not exist. It's common knowledge that today's youth's biggest problem is that they do not know the original 151 pokemon by heart.

^This

Lets see... youth huh? I enjoy being mysterious about my age, so I may or may not fall into the catagory of "under 17".

Either way, I too have opinions concerning youth, younguns, lil' twats, whatever you call them in your country.

Things like this
http://repairstemcell.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/hannah_montana_2.jpg
Makes girls feel the need to look/buy everything to look like her.

And this
http://images.usatoday.com/tech/_photos/2006/11/10/consoles472.jpg
That make children be unable to interract with eachother in the real world, other then what the online community provides. I've met countless angry 12 year olds on Halo, I can't imagine how they function in the real world.

Also, language...

becuz nao wii kan awl tawk lyk dis nao!

[GameGeeks]

becuz nao wii kan awl tawk lyk dis nao!
OK, that took me several tries to read. Seriously, how hard is it to use proper english and punctuation. If you're really lazy just ask you parents for a voice to text program and get a microphone.

[BurntHouse]

OK, that took me several tries to read. Seriously, how hard is it to use proper english and punctuation. If you're really lazy just ask you parents for a voice to text program and get a microphone.

For your sake, that better have been a joke... lol

[Gero50]

^This

Lets see... youth huh? I enjoy being mysterious about my age, so I may or may not fall into the catagory of "under 17".

Either way, I too have opinions concerning youth, younguns, lil' twats, whatever you call them in your country.

Things like this

Makes girls feel the need to look/buy everything to look like her.

And this

That make children be unable to interract with eachother in the real world, other then what the online community provides. I've met countless angry 12 year olds on Halo, I can't imagine how they function in the real world.

Also, language...

becuz nao wii kan awl tawk lyk dis nao!
I don't know if I agree tat this kinda stuff is as big of issue as a lot of people think. Technology is very impotent in fact I can think of more then enough reasons it dose bring kids together in the real world and the internet. The most common one of course is the ability to play together with friends locally and over the internet at the same time. It's not that your point is bad in fact it is a very good point. I just don't see it as bad of a thing when it comes to technology.

[GameGeeks]

For your sake, that better have been a joke... lol

About struggling to read the sentence or the voice to text? If it's the first one, then I'm just lame, if it's the second one then yeah, I was being sarcastic.

[BurntHouse]

I don't know if I agree tat this kinda stuff is as big of issue as a lot of people think. Technology is very impotent in fact I can think of more then enough reasons it dose bring kids together in the real world and the internet. The most common one of course is the ability to play together with friends locally and over the internet at the same time. It's not that your point is bad in fact it is a very good point. I just don't see it as bad of a thing when it comes to technology.

Oh definately, technology is great! Being able to communicate with people around the world is definately a major plus in society. However, when kids are clued to the TV set, with a head-set on whispering "dude, throw a grenade in the shelter" as forms of communication... it lacks real-world implications.

Internet-type communcation is great, but it shouldn't be the only medium of communication for kids these days like it's slowly becoming. Me and my mates always loved to prowl the streets outside, go to the shop, hang at the park, pretend we're pirates and scare off random strangers. Stuff that can't be accomplished with a keyboard/game controller


About struggling to read the sentence or the voice to text? If it's the first one, then I'm just lame, if it's the second one then yeah, I was being sarcastic.

WEL DEN, I R GOIN' 2 TAWK LYK DIS FRUM NAO ON!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOL

[GameGeeks]

Don't suppose there's a black list on this forum?

[Hypatia]

^This

Lets see... youth huh? I enjoy being mysterious about my age, so I may or may not fall into the catagory of "under 17".

Either way, I too have opinions concerning youth, younguns, lil' twats, whatever you call them in your country.

Things like this

Makes girls feel the need to look/buy everything to look like her.

And this

That make children be unable to interract with eachother in the real world, other then what the online community provides. I've met countless angry 12 year olds on Halo, I can't imagine how they function in the real world.

Also, language...

becuz nao wii kan awl tawk lyk dis nao!
No offence to anyone who thinks that she is pritty but why would anyone want to look as ugly as her and be as shallow?
Because everyone is watching it and everyone is playing games and no one wants to be left out no one wants to be a reject.

[Bugsiee]

I think that it's the fact that many people have stereotyped what young girls and boys should look like, for example, the boys are stereotyped to have big muscles,tall and deep voices.Some boys might not mature as fast as fast as others they might have a different build. Girls supposedly have to be slim, eat healthy, wear makeup and most of the time know how to cook, clean and all that stuff. When people stereotype like this, it leads to all the other things cos the youth is feeling depressed about not meeting the fake standards,things like drugs, alchohol,sex,eating disorders is what the youth can resort to cos their depressed.

[Hypatia]

I think that it's the fact that many people have stereotyped what young girls and boys should look like, for example, the boys are stereotyped to have big muscles,tall and deep voices.Some boys might not mature as fast as fast as others they might have a different build. Girls supposedly have to be slim, eat healthy, wear makeup and most of the time know how to cook, clean and all that stuff. When people stereotype like this, it leads to all the other things cos the youth is feeling depressed about not meeting the fake standards,things like drugs, alchohol,sex,eating disorders is what the youth can resort to cos their depressed.
Yes true they want to meet that standard. In some cases if they are desprate enough they will do anything to be what they think they should be or should look like.

[Acnologia]

Rudeness and selfishness. So many kids these days are so disrespectful. Many kids are so mean to their parents or other kids. They don't appreciate what they have and only think of themselves. People now a days just don't help each other.

[Megamind's Minion]

Rudeness and selfishness. So many kids these days are so disrespectful. Many kids are so mean to their parents or other kids. They don't appreciate what they have and only think of themselves. People now a days just don't help each other.

totally!..
seldom can we walk the streets these days and not feel harassed because the 'youth' are sprouting indecent words like a machine gun...
not that i blame Eminem or akon...
but well.. proof...


becuz nao wii kan awl tawk lyk dis nao!

readable yes...
but nevertheless i will not allow myself to be caught doing this unless it's a prank!!!;)

[Hypatia]

totally!..
seldom can we walk the streets these days and not feel harassed because the 'youth' are sprouting indecent words like a machine gun...
not that i blame Eminem or akon...
but well.. proof...

The way people speak these days is really bad. Its really a continues cycle because if their parent are rude and and have no way of speaking the child or children will speak like their parents the way you speak is as a result of you upbring and the people that you associate yourself with (in most cases)

[Light Buster]

Drugs. Need I say more?

[Lavos]

Too many kids are pushed by religious groups to be homosexual.

[3pleT]

Drugs. Need I say more?
How is that an issue? I think it doesn't screw them up nearly as much as Miley Cyrus, screamo or that no-child-left-behind bullcrap, to name a few.

[Condey]

I don't know if I agree tat this kinda stuff is as big of issue as a lot of people think. Technology is very impotent in fact I can think of more then enough reasons it dose bring kids together in the real world and the internet. The most common one of course is the ability to play together with friends locally and over the internet at the same time. It's not that your point is bad in fact it is a very good point. I just don't see it as bad of a thing when it comes to technology.

I agree, I think technology gives kids who would otherwise feel alienated and alone, a means to find others like them through comfortable channels. Not everyone is a social wizard, there are a lot of people who just naturally feel uncomfortable with social situations and things like online gaming give them an outlet to meet people without feeling the usual societal pressures.


How is that an issue? I think it doesn't screw them up nearly as much as Miley Cyrus, screamo or that no-child-left-behind bullcrap, to name a few.

Again I agree. Drugs aren't the issue, they are a symptom (not that I think they are innately bad, but they have a lot of bad affiliations) of a greater problem. I think a lot of people's problems with drugs come from ignorance from having no actual experience with them as well as narrow-mindedness from the onslaught of right-wing propaganda that children are forced to swallow from preschool onwards.

Where I live there has always been a very liberal view towards drugs and I have yet to see society degenerate into chaos.

[Token Black Guy]

I think the sex and teen pregnancy issue needs some more attention. Some kids need to be re-informed about this. I remember in my first year of high school there was 3 pregnant girls in my class. It just made me think "Why do kids do this? What's the point of having a baby at this age?" I even had a few relatives that had kids when they were kids. Even when i switched to a new high school and graduated, there was one female student who was pregnant. We should be encouraging safe sex practices in sex ed classes, because regardless of what people will say, teens are gonna do it. I don't think kids nowadays are even afraid that they might get an STD like HIV/AIDS.

[zansa]

Gangs.

[Token Black Guy]

Gangs.
That's a issue in my neighborhood.

[Miss Moonlight]

Makes girls feel the need to look/buy everything to look like her.

Well, yes. Disney is evil. That is their plan, to get marketable children/teens to dance and sing and sort of act, while dancing and singing.

Miley Cyrus is a disney superstar who plays herself, while also having a "secret" life as a ... superstar.

Every girl who watches her show should be a marketable blond ... er, brunette ... who plays a marketable blond.

See, it's a paradox of super-stardom!


That make children be unable to interract with eachother in the real world, other then what the online community provides. I've met countless angry 12 year olds on Halo, I can't imagine how they function in the real world.

Oh, xbox live, the home of bratty, socially inept, potty-mouthed little tards.

I never got into the whole "shouting racial slurs and other obscenities while playing games" thing, because back in my day, we simply used to play them. Quietly. And it was fun.

As for how they "function" in the real world, they don't.

My nephews, who happen to be 12 and 10 years old respectively, like to call everyone on xbox live every name out there (doing this behind a mic/screen gives everyone false balls), but someday, they will probably be unpleasantly surprised when it doesn't go over well in the "outside" world if they get a job, and want to call their boss a blankety-blank, or that shooting your wife is a bad thing when she doesn't make dinner for you.

And my oldest nephew (who is 18), doesn't like leaving the house even for school. His mother lets him stay home on that thing all day, and if she tries to push him to ... you know, get off his rear, he throws a tantrum and threatens violence against her. Xbox live is srs bizness.

Who needs an education when you can just stay home until you're 40?

[Hypatia]

Well, yes. Disney is evil. That is their plan, to get marketable children/teens to dance and sing and sort of act, while dancing and singing.

Miley Cyrus is a disney superstar who plays herself, while also having a "secret" life as a ... superstar.

Every girl who watches her show should be a marketable blond ... er, brunette ... who plays a marketable blond.

See, it's a paradox of super-stardom!



Oh, xbox live, the home of bratty, socially inept, potty-mouthed little tards.

I never got into the whole "shouting racial slurs and other obscenities while playing games" thing, because back in my day, we simply used to play them. Quietly. And it was fun.

As for how they "function" in the real world, they don't.

My nephews, who happen to be 12 and 10 years old respectively, like to call everyone on xbox live every name out there (doing this behind a mic/screen gives everyone false balls), but someday, they will probably be unpleasantly surprised when it doesn't go over well in the "outside" world if they get a job, and want to call their boss a blankety-blank, or that shooting your wife is a bad thing when she doesn't make dinner for you.

And my oldest nephew (who is 18), doesn't like leaving the house even for school. His mother lets him stay home on that thing all day, and if she tries to push him to ... you know, get off his rear, he throws a tantrum and threatens violence against her. Xbox live is srs bizness.

Who needs an education when you can just stay home until you're 40?
In a way the whole thing about her having some secret life can possibly teach one to keep secrets. If you can keep small secrets you can keep big one's


Gangs.
Gangs are a big problem where i live and it is the children who are given too musch freedom by their parents that are mostly the ones who end up in gangs etc.


I think the sex and teen pregnancy issue needs some more attention. Some kids need to be re-informed about this. I remember in my first year of high school there was 3 pregnant girls in my class. It just made me think "Why do kids do this? What's the point of having a baby at this age?" I even had a few relatives that had kids when they were kids. Even when i switched to a new high school and graduated, there was one female student who was pregnant. We should be encouraging safe sex practices in sex ed classes, because regardless of what people will say, teens are gonna do it. I don't think kids nowadays are even afraid that they might get an STD like HIV/AIDS.

I think that over the years teen pregnacy has just been pushed to the side and is not viewed as such a serious propblem anymore. You cant expose a person to sex and not teach them about it and the dangers etc.
the media is most to blame for this exposure because if you watch Mtv you will see that most of the music videos are very sexual eg: telephone by lady gaga and beyonce. What values are to be gained by seeing woman hanging off some rapper. What is being said there?

[Akuma no Hana]

Speaking from the point of view of one of Today's youth...
(I dont know it this really fits or even who to say it...)
The problem I come across a lot is that I can't walk around in public with my younger siblings (ages 1-2) with out people staring/glaring at me due to the fact that they think that my sibling is my son or daughter.
Example: I was with my frind at the park (both of use age 13) with her little sister (age 2) and we had people staring at us and one person even came up to my friend and said is that you daughter?
Personally I dont think that is right...