How well do you know your teenager?
What’s on the minds of the teens of today? Aside from the usual suspects of body image and family conflict, worries about drugs and fear of personal safety are the biggest anxiety issues for young people.
Mission Australia’s annual youth survey of 45,000 people released in December 2008 raises a number of fresh concerns. The fear of suicide has declined slightly, but drugs are increasingly weighing on the minds of young people (it has risen to second place behind body image), as is how much they are worried about their personal safety.
The survey revealed that 11 to 14 year-olds concerns about drugs are related to the potential for drugs to harm others and whether they will be able to resist peer pressure to experiment. It seems anti-drug awareness campaigns among younger teens are generating plenty of worry but are not necessarily equipping them with the skills to resist drugs when they're older.
Research indicates that scare-tactics alone are not enough to change behaviour, long term. Worse still, scare-tactics can glamorise dangerous behaviour.
Concern about drugs drops significantly among older teens while other evidence shows illicit drug use goes up. Almost 19% of 16 to 17 year-olds have tried illegal drugs, and 23.4 % of 18 to 19 year-olds. So organisations that seek to build self-esteem, values, resilience and confidence through mentoring and self-development programs are arguably more successful in steering teens away from drug taking, binge drinking and anti-social behaviour.
The emergence of personal safety as a major concern also has hidden ramifications. While a young person's fear might not be based in any real likelihood of them being unsafe, it can still be very damaging. And research points out that when trust breaks down, a range of negative social and economic outcomes for individuals and communities often results.
“If you're afraid of your community, how do you get involved in local activities? The truth is you're less likely to, and there goes part of the lifeblood of our society,” says Toby Hall, CEO of Mission Australia.
Glyn Henman, the CEO of youth charity Young Life Australia, agrees. “Unfortunately, so many Gen-Ys are inward focussed. Many simply haven’t a clue as to what is happening outside their immediate neighbourhood. Yet in the supervised youth groups we run, I have witnessed that when they meet other young people from other schools, their fear subsides and their sense of self worth and willingness to better themselves can dramatically improve.”
The survey also reveals the importance of trusted relationships. 75.3% said they strongly value family relationships, 62.3% also said friendships with peers or mentoring adults were very important, and 26.2% also wanted to feel needed and valued. For advice and support, 85.1% of respondents said they turn to their peers or mentoring adults, 74.1% also consult their parents, 20.3% use the internet, and only 11.5% seek out their school counsellor.
Just as in previous years, the Mission Australia survey shows that young people place primary importance on close relationships where they are treated with respect and understanding. It pays dividends for both parents and mentoring adults to look beyond the stereotypes and establish positive connections that count.
Article Date: 27 January, 2009
Author: Philip Jenkinson
Sources: Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies 27/11/08; Sun Herald 28/12/08.
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