Problems Facing Teens Today free essay sample

Teens today are enjoying the cyber age. Information and communication right in the palm of their hands. Going through a day of school is a breeze for these adolescents with all that technology has to offer. Unfortunately, bullying, irresponsible sexual behavior and coming out as gay, lesbian or transgendered, are problems confronting teens daily. Bullying involves a person or a group of persons constantly attacking a person who is weaker or more vulnerable. These attacks can occur in-school or through cyberspace. In-school bullying can be physical, mental or a combination of both. Deleterious teasing and taunting, name calling, hitting and stealing or destroying property are examples of direct attacks. There are also indirect attacks that are more subtle which involve spreading rumors and encouraging others to reject and ignore someone. â€Å"Almost 30 percent of teens in the United States (or over 5. 7 million) are estimated to be involved in school bullying as either a bully, a target of teen bullying, or both†(FamilyFirstAid. We will write a custom essay sample on Problems Facing Teens Today or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page rg). The effect of this bullying can leave a teenager feeling tense, anxious and afraid. Teen bullying can lead to serious mental health issues such as suicidal thoughts and thoughts of violent revenge. The permanent mental health damage can be low self-esteem issues and self-worth. Cyber has taken bullying to an extreme. Teens are now using social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace â€Å"to harass, threaten, embarrass or target another person†(kidshealth. org). In some cases cyber-bullying can be obvious such as leaving veraciously mean cell phone text messages or cruel notes posted on social networking sites. Cyber-bullying can also involve impersonating the victim, posting personal information or a video which is intended to embarrass and hurt another teen. The effects of this behavior go beyond in-school bullying because it can go on 24 hours a day and there can be no escaping the torment. This leaves teen victims with mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, and other stress-related disorders and for many they have committed suicide. The issue with teen sexual behavior today is that teens are bombarded with sexual content via the media and the internet. This puts teens at risk for not only sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy but also an unhealthy view of sexual behavior. Peer pressure to engage in adult-like activities can encourage adolescents to engage in various levels of sexual experimentation (education. com). The statistics for teens becoming infected with sexually transmitted diseases are quite high. According to the U. S. Center for Disease Control about 25% of sexually active teenagers get a sexually transmitted disease (STD) every year, and 80% of the infected teens don’t even know they have a STD, passing the disease along to unsuspecting partners. The data of AIDS and teens is chilling—of the new HIV infections each year, about 50% occur in people under the age of 25 (focusas. com). There are negative media images that appear to promote lustful, irresponsible sexual behavior that are often associated with early teenage sexual activity. The internet can provide teens with unlimited access to information on sex. There is also the danger of sexual predators that teenagers chat with online because they feel that it is a safe way to gather information because they are remaining anonymous. Of course, sexual predators know this and they manipulate teenagers into online relationships and then later they try to set up a time and place to meet. Teenagers don’t need a sexual predator to find pornography. It comes to them via spam in their emails and through ‘click-on’ advertisements. Pornography, especially for boys, gives teenagers a twisted view of what constitutes a relationship. When a teenager decides he or she is gay, lesbian or transgendered and tells his or her friends and family, this is called coming out. This is not an easy process for most adolescents. The average age for a teen coming out today is 16 as compared to back in 1980 when it was between the ages of 19 and 23 (Cianciotto, Jason and Sean Cahill 29). Coming out at 16 means they are still attending high school which can have a serious impact on school and work. More schools these days are openly acknowledging Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgender (LGBT) students and oppose any sort of homophobic bullying. This creates a safe and welcoming environment where all students can be safe and learn. For those students who aren’t attending a school that has these policies set in place, school can become a place of fear and violence for a teen who has either come out or has been outed by their friend or another student. This type of violent behavior towards LGBT young adults can continue outside of school as well. It is not an easy time for a LGBT teen to come out and they fear rejection. Many who try and talk about it with an adult; their parent, a teacher or even a doctor, are told it is just a phase. There are many teens homeless because they came out to their family and they were told to leave home. Of the estimated 1. 6 million homeless American youth, 20 to 40 percent identify as LGBT (Ray, Nicholas 4). It is important for parents to be helpful and involved with their LGBT son or daughter’s live. This will have a positive impact on their mental, physical and social well-being. Those teens that were rejected by their parents have higher rates of both physical and mental disorders. Those disorders can be severe depression and suicidal thoughts including suicidal attempts, having unprotected sex, and using illegal drugs. There aren’t many easy solutions to these teen issues but strides can be made to assist teens in handling these problems in a manner that will improve their lifestyle. ? Works Cited Cianciotto, J , and S. Cahill. Education Policy: Issues Affecting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Youth.