Gaming Teens Make Good Citizens

More than a quarter admit to texting while driving

(NEWSER) - Text messaging is growing into a serious hazard for young people, ABC reports. A new study showed that teens are texting at rates that border on addiction—some sending thousands of messages a month. Most alarmingly, however, a full 28% of teens admitted to texting while driving, a dangerous practice that distracts inexperienced motorists. More»

It beat safe sex program in recent study

(NEWSER) - Abstinence-only sex education is back on solid scientific ground, with a study showing the method may be more effective than safe sex education in discouraging young teens from taking the plunge. Different groups of 6th- and 7th-graders were given short courses in abstinence, safe sex, or a combination of the two. Two years later, 33% of the abstinence students had become sexually active, compared to 52% of the safe-sex pupils. More»

Expectation linked to risky behavior

(NEWSER) - Teenagers who engage in risky behavior may do so because they believe they’re going to die young anyway, and may create a self-fulfilling prophecy with that belief, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune. A study that tracked 20,000 kids in grades 7 through 12 found that 15% thought they would die before the age of 35. That group was seven times more likely to be diagnosed with AIDS. More»

(NEWSER) - Teens forced to move often by their parents’ jobs are much more likely to attempt suicide than those who stay put, MSNBC reports. Kids between 11 and 17 who moved three or more times were twice as likely to try to kill themselves as children who grew up in the same place, Danish researchers found. If a family moved 10 times, the likelihood of suicide quadrupled the average. More»

Teens spend less on food, apparel while video games and DVDs still popular

(NEWSER) - The downturn is causing teens, who usually spend through recessions while parents absorb the pinch, to cut back, Advertising Age reports. Teenagers are spending about 14% less this spring than last, a “dramatic impact” from a demographic that spends an average of $125 billion each year. Unemployment is also cramping spending; the teen jobless rate hit 22% in March, the highest in a decade. More»