Teen Addictions

Why are Teens so Bored?  (Teen Addictions)

Anna Reeder

Dear Readers,

                Grab a bowl of popcorn. Boy do I have some things to talk to you about.  Today, I’m going to discuss teen addictions. I’m talking drugs, alcohol, sex, and even electronics (ie: facebook, twitter, cell phones, etc.) You will learn it all right here. To begin with one issue that has been brought to my attention has taken over movies, our media, our children, and is plastered everywhere we turn. What is this you ask? Sex. Yes, it may not seem like such a big deal, but with its consequences it’s causing too much damage to even take in on one sitting. Sex causes teen pregnancy, STDs, it increases drug and alcohol use, and tears apart the fragile morals of today’s society. Sex used to be very “hush, hush” in the 20’s, 30’s, and 50’s, but it seems today that you can’t escape it. If you aren’t sexting then you are either seeing a commercial or a billboard using seduction techniques. Wherever we turn in our world, we are susceptible to this “new” era. So what can we do? Let’s see. We can not support it for starters. In schools they are teaching you how to have “safe” sex or how to properly take birth control, or how to place a condom on. Let me tell you that is NOT the answer. There is no such thing as “safe” sex, it’s a myth made up by society. Basically society is saying that if you can’t beat them then just go with them. Having teachers, parents, and adults be “okay” with sex as long as there is protection is the first mistake. Growing up children and young adults look up to their parents, their teachers, the media, and what is portrayed as “acceptable” around them. Girls especially look up to actresses as role models, and idolize them. What for? The media portrays sex as no big deal. There are shows out there today called, The Secret Life of the American Teenager where girls around school are having sex and getting pregnant. The main character gets pregnant after having sex with a boy she met; her mother later on in the show gets pregnant as well, the twist is that it may not be her husbands. Seriously? This is what “prime time” television is today. What happened to I love Lucy, or I dream of Jeannie. These shows are entertaining without having sex involved. In the first seasons of I love Lucy, she and Ricky did not even sleep in the same bed on television. Now you can just flip the channel to Gossip Girl and watch girls have random hook-ups. What those shows don’t tell their young audiences is the consequences of their actions.  2800 teens get pregnant each day in the United States, (Sound Vision).  Also having multiple partners puts you at a high risk of transmitting diseases. 1 in 4 sexually active teens become infected with an STD every year in the United States, (Sound Vision). I’m not trying to lecture, trust me readers I know what its like. Once you are told not to do something, you want to run out and do it. All I’m trying to do is making you, my readers, aware. Along with the physical side effects of sex there are many psychological and emotional side effects. Okay, now I know you are thinking I sound like your mom, but it’s true. If you don’t believe me, believe your friends, adults that you trust in your life. “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body" (1 Corinthians 6:13)

Every 7 minutes a teen is arrested for a drug crime. Every 4 minutes a teen is arrested for an alcohol related crime. What is so glamorous about taking shots or sniffing cocaine? Is it from boredom or is it from curiosity? No matter what the reason is the facts are there, teenagers go to parties where alcohol is constantly around them, drugs are accessible to all ages now. Basically if you want it, you can get it. If you don’t believe this then believe the statistics. More than 60 percent of teens said that drugs were sold, used, or kept at their school. We live in a society where technology has made selling, possessing, and using illegal substances a recreational activity. It allows students to “relax” from their hectic lives. All this really does is put a band-aid over what is going on. The earlier that teens and kids start drinking and using drugs, the harder it is to stop, and the more likely they are to become addicted. A lot of parents and adults don’t know how students continue on these paths, and why these choices are so tempting. Again back to the media, not trying to completely destroy them, but they portray partying with drugs and alcohol as a care free time. A time to let loose, be young, and to be rebellious. Most kids would agree that when their parent tells them to do something, they do the complete opposite just to receive a reaction from them. Attention is another reason for using drugs and alcohol. Most times when someone is acting out they do things to harm themselves, so others will take notice and care. There is many other reasons for alcohol and drugs being used at such a young age such as sexual, physical, and mental abuse. Alcohol can help you forget your problems for the time being as well as can drugs, but trust me they are no where near being dealt with. Think of a problem as a tiny hole in a meadow, each time that someone tempts to deal with it by talking to a counselor, writing about it, or discussing ways to help the hole can begin healing, but as soon as there is a turn in the path and that student acts out by smoking a joint or taking a shot, the problem increases. It helps to talk, even if there are no words being said. Be there for someone today.

                Now on to the source of most of issues in today’s society being thrown on young adults. Media, I’m talking facebook, twitter, texting, etc. No matter what it is. It seems that in today’s world, people especially young kids are consumed by electronics. Whether they are playing a video game, on facebook, or texting, it all takes a toll on our subconscious. Teens between the ages 15-18 spend almost up to two hours a day texting alone. 31% of teens send and receive more than 100 messages per day or more than 3,000 messages a month; 15% of teens who are texters send more than 200 texts a day, or more than 6,000 texts a month. Texting and calling people takes up a lot of time when kids could be outside playing, or hanging out with friends in person. Having constant electronics around is not only bad for the health of the kid, but also the growth. Kids and young adults are supposed to have face to face contact with other people. It helps them to become socially prepared for jobs in their life, and having conversations with good eye contact and good stance. It even disturbs students in their time where they should be receiving an education. Sixty-five percent of high school students use cell phones in school and One-quarter of text messages sent by teens are sent during class.  Texting takes away the personality of getting to know someone, it also allows for temptation to be more easily accessed. A new hit that just came out is called “Dirty Picture” by Taio Cruz featuring Ke$ha. Yes, ladies and gentlemen this is what is blasting on the radios in cars that pass by. Basically, the song is about how they can’t wait to see each other so they are asking for a dirty picture of the other which is known as sexting. Sexting is illegal but has become a way for young teens to “bond” with their boyfriends and crushes. Facebook is another pastime in the United States. More than 100 million people are actively using Facebook from their mobile devices every month. So not only are facebook lovers spending hours on their computers, but now it can be easily accessed on their phones. My main point through this “rant”, as you may think of it, is basically that teens are so hooked onto electronics they don’t have time to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Our society has become so fast paced that there is no time to be grateful for all we have been given. I can’t tell you how many young boys and girls I have walked by that have their iPods glued to their heads. They are wearing hoodies, and have their faces down to the ground. There is no personality to these kids. Our generation is run by the media. The media tells the kids how to dress, how to talk, and how to act. They don’t teach respect to their elders nor do they teach respect of themselves.

                I would hate to see a world where young adults are walking around and acting as “zombies”, but this is the way our society is evolving. We need to unplug and unwind, and teach younger kids the same. Whether teachers and adults know it, young people admire and look up to them as role models. If we see adults running around with People Magazine glued to their hands, and facebook open under their noises. What is the younger generation supposed to think? Basically its simple, get active, enjoy what you have been given. Take a facebook fast or a couple hours off from texting each day. Your mind and body will thank you. I believe this is the time for a revolution, a time where respect for our bodies and for everyone surrounding us is an important aspect in each day. Sex will go back to being between married couples, drugs will cease to exist, and alcohol will be used in moderation. I know a dream world, but we can all dream can’t we? Electronics will still be used, but will not be “hooked” onto us. So I invite you all to take a stand. Pull out the plugs, and go out. Dance in the rain, take a dog for a walk, and talk to your parents, or your brothers and sisters. Get together with your friends and paint nails, and laugh. Your body craves it, and will be grateful to the new changes you have in store. Pull the plugs, put down the shots, and live. You are called to live, so let your life begin.

 

That’s all for now my loyal readers, tune in for next week, where I will be discussing how we all have choices to make in our lives.

 

Love to all,

You’re Writer,

Anna (:

 

Reviews

[Karli]

oh, this is all too true. I'm like the typical teenager. You've got this all down, and it's well written:)