One in Eight Teens Misuses Prescription Painkillers

One in eight older teens has used powerful painkillers when they weren’t prescribed — and many of them start misusing the medications earlier than was previously assumed, according to new research. “The non-medical use of controlled medications in (teens) has surpassed almost all illicit drugs except for marijuana,” said pediatrician Dr. Robert Fortuna, from the […]

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Materialism & Teenage Self Esteem

This is not a new study (2007) but I have only just come across it.  It suggest that as a teenagers self-esteem increases there is a corresponding decline in materialism.  This further confirms what many of us will have observed that insecurity and having a poor self concept can lead to an increased desire to […]

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New Study: 27% of Teens Upload Videos of Themselves

According to a new study from Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project more than a quarter, or 27%,  of  teenagers surveyed record video of themselves and put it online. Lots of interesting current data about how teenagers use technology – especially concerning changes in online behaviour since 2006. Download PDF of research here

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Majority of Teens Use Texting to Ask Out Their Prom Date

Today’s teens send an average of 60 text messages a day, according to a recent Pew Research study, and that preferred method of communication is evident in the results of a new survey on proms. A survey of 1,243 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 by the company TextPlus finds 58 percent of […]

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With Teen Substance Use, It May Really Take A Village

New research suggests successful parenting of a teenager needs to include keeping track of their peers — and even the peer’s parents. While the task may seem daunting, researchers discovered parents were impressed that they could not only influence their own children, but they can also have a positive influence on their children’s friends as […]

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Marijuana Use Up 80 Percent Since 2008 Amongst US Teens

Nationally projectable survey results released today by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and MetLife Foundation found that past-month marijuana use – particularly heavy use – has increased significantly among U.S. high school students since 2008. The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, sponsored by MetLife Foundation, found that 9 percent of teens (nearly 1.5 million) smoked marijuana heavily […]

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How Parents Can Shape Teenage Self-Esteem

When we think of parents and their child’s self-esteem our thoughts tend to focus on how parent’s praise or criticise their kids. Such thinking is understandable, as the words parents use do have significant impact. However parents can have a much greater role in shaping their teen’s sense of self worth and esteem. There are […]

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Some Teenagers Wired For Addiction

In the largest imaging study of the adolescent brain ever conducted — involving 1,896 14-year-olds — scientists report in Nature Neuroscience that some teenagers may be more inclined to experiment with drugs and alcohol, simply because their brains work differently, making them more impulsive. Read full news report  here Journal abstract here

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