Tag: teens
Most Teens Rely On Smartphones To Go Online, Study Finds

Most Teens Rely On Smartphones To Go Online, Study Finds

By David Pierson, Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Think teenagers are always glued to their phones? A new research report says you’re right.

A survey of more than 1,000 teens found 92 percent of them go online daily and 24 percent of them go online “almost constantly.”

The preferred method was smartphones. Ninety-one percent of teens went online at least occasionally using the handheld devices.

The findings come from a Pew Research Center report released Thursday that examines the relationship between teens, social media, and technology.

The study, which was conducted online, polled teens aged 13 to 17.

The study also looked at connectivity and usage among ethnic groups and different household incomes.

Included in the findings was that black and Latino teens report more frequent Internet use. Thirty-four percent of black teens and 32 percent of Latino teens reported going online “almost constantly.” By comparison, only 19 percent of white teens said they went online as much.

Meanwhile, 85 percent of black teens said they had access to a smartphone compared with 71 percent for Latino and white teens.

“American teens, especially African-American youth, have embraced smartphones and the 24/7 access to people and information that they offer,” said Amanda Lenhart, associate director for research at the Pew Research Center and the lead author on the report.

Facebook was the most popular social media platform among the teens polled with 71 percent of them indicating they used the service.

Second was Instagram at 52 percent, followed by Snapchat at 41 percent. Twitter and Google+ came in at 33 percent.

Teens from lower income families leaned toward Facebook while wealthier teens reported higher usage of Snapchat and Twitter.

The study also showed texting was highly popular. Ninety percent of teens with access to mobile phones said they texted. A typical teen sends and receives 30 texts daily.

Although the Pew Research Center has released similar studies in the past, it warned against comparing results too closely because they were conducted slightly differently. Previous studies looked at a different subset of teens (aged 12 to 17) and conducted the survey over the phone, rather than online.

Photo: Pabak Sakar via Flickr

Teen Birth Rate Falls In U.S.

Teen Birth Rate Falls In U.S.

Miami (AFP) – The birth rate among US teenagers has continued to decline, but health authorities said Tuesday that even greater strides could be made if more teens used long-acting forms of contraception. More than 273,000 babies were born to mothers aged 15 to 19 in 2013, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The teen birth rate in 2013, the most recent year in which data is available, was 26.5 births per 1,000 teenagers. This was more than double that in 1991, when the birth rate was 61.8 births per 1,000 teens.

“Improved contraceptive use has contributed substantially to this decline,” said the CDC Vital Signs report. A key strategy for further reducing teen pregnancy is increasing awareness, access, and availability of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), specifically intrauterine devices.”

Nearly 90 percent of sexually active teens surveyed said they used birth control the last time they had sex. The most common forms of contraception were condoms and birth control pills.

However, relatively few teens are opting for implants and intrauterine devices, which are the most effective kinds of birth control. Long-acting reversible contraception use among teens was 0.4 percent in 2005 to but rose to 7.1 percent in 2013. Of the 616,148 female teens the CDC studied in 2013, 17,349 (2.8 percent) used IUDs, and 26,347 (4.3 percent) used implants.

“LARC is safe to use, does not require taking a pill every day or doing something every time before having sex, and, depending on the method, can be used to prevent pregnancy for three to ten years,” said the CDC report. Less than one percent of LARC users become pregnant during the first year of use.”

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have endorsed LARC as a first-line contraceptive choice for teens, the report added. However, the CDC stressed that LARC does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases.

“The good news is that teens are taking responsibility for their reproductive health needs,” said Lisa Romero, a health scientist in CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health. We also know that teens using birth control do not often choose intrauterine devices and implants –- the most effective types of birth control. Parents and teens are encouraged to talk with their health care professional to learn about the various types of birth control, including long-acting reversible contraception.”

Photo: Loic Venance via afp.com

Growing CrossFit Program Branches Out To Children

Growing CrossFit Program Branches Out To Children

By Kim Lyons, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)

As fitness crazes go, the workout program CrossFit has some of the most dedicated disciples.

The wildly popular, self-directed program, which puts a focus on core strength training and conditioning, has built a robust online community, where its participants set goals, share routine variations and track their progress. They’ve even developed their own language: the WOD is the workout of the day, AMRAP is “as many reps as possible” and a C&J is what’s better known to weightlifters as a “clean and jerk.” It’s safe to say that for many of its followers, CrossFit is a philosophy, as well as a workout regimen.

Chiropractor Patrick Landry, 48, a former college athlete, discovered CrossFit while training for a marathon several years ago. He didn’t feel like he was getting what he needed from his running and his judo practice and decided to give it a try. He was so pleased with the results that he opened the CrossFit gym in January 2012.

“I know there are a lot of skeptics of CrossFit, and some people call it a cult,” Landry said. “But it creates an emotional anchor for people, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. People who have never exercised a day in their lives are learning to control their bodies, to move better and have better flexibility, better coordination, and stamina.”

In the fall of 2012, Landry took what he thought was the next logical step: starting a kids program. He has four children of his own and wanted to give them options besides team sports. He now has about 30 children who participate regularly and semi-regularly in the program.

Barry Novotny and his daughter Ainsley, 12, are part of a CrossFit family that goes to Landry’s gym. She uses the training as a supplement, to help her build endurance for cross-country running and the other sports she plays.

“I think the majority of her soccer team does CrossFit as an extracurricular activity,” Barry Novotny said. “We try to go as a family as many nights a week as we can. There’s a real community aspect to it, which makes it more fun for the kids.”

That’s a primary goal for Landry: that the kids participating in the program aren’t seeing it as one more thing on their already full schedules.

“The way I teach the classes, you can drop in and out, and you don’t have to be here every day,” he said. “There are too many sports where kids are told they have to be there, at practice, at the games, and they get overcommitted.”

The gym is one of the 1,800 CrossFit facilities that teaches the CrossFit Kids program. According to the program’s website, the aim is to “provide an active alternative to sedentary pursuits, which means less childhood obesity and all-around better health for our children.”

The CrossFit Kids program is structured so that it builds mechanics first, then consistency, then adds intensity, which Sara Colley said was a good way to prevent kids from performing exercises before they’re prepared. She added that a big concern with growing children are growth plate injuries, which can result when children try to do exercises they’re not ready for.

Colley, a physical therapist with UPMC Sports Medicine and the Centers for Rehab Services, said while she has some concerns about inexperienced children possibly injuring themselves with some of the ballistic movements in CrossFit’s weight-lifting routines, like snatches and clean-and-jerk lifts, there are plenty of positive things they can gain from the program.

“It can be fun, and there’s no emphasis on ‘winning,’ which is a great idea,” she said. And, CrossFit can provide an alternative exercise for kids who are involved in only one sport, which can lead to repetitive stress injuries, Colley said.

“If they’re doing CrossFit while they’re taking time away from their sport, that’s a good thing,” she said. “And any time you can boost a kid’s self-esteem, that’s good, too. But that requires a good coach.”

She said that was an area of concern for her because according to CrossFit’s website, the training to instruct children consists of a weekend session and a criminal background check but no additional certification or degree, which Colley doesn’t think is sufficient.

Landry said he has a good rapport with the kids in his program, which he agrees is crucial to their participation.

“If I don’t know how to connect to kids, they won’t respond,” he said. “I want it to be fun for them, for them to want to be here.”

Photo: John Heller via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS

A Mother Joins Others Breaking The Silence On Teen Suicide

A Mother Joins Others Breaking The Silence On Teen Suicide

By Gracie Bonds Staples, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)

ATLANTA — Kelly Wittes begins slowly, wondering out loud if she’s about to do the right thing.

If she tells Joshua’s story will it help or just make things worse? What if talking about Joshua’s struggle encourages other kids to take their lives, too?

“I always have that fear,” she says.

More than 50 research studies worldwide have found that certain types of news coverage can increase the likelihood of suicide. But Kelly Wittes is convinced silence can, too.

Not many are talking now. While it robs us of our children, suicide is still considered a private matter, something to be shared only among family. Maybe we ought to rethink that.

Between 2007 and 2013, the rate among adolescents ages 10 to 19 increased 34 percent, from 3.77 to 5.05 per 100,000 population. In 2013, suicide surpassed homicide to become the second leading cause of death among children and teens.

Just weeks after his 16th birthday, Joshua hanged himself in his hospital room.

That was four years ago but for Wittes, talking about it hasn’t gotten any easier.

There’s a stigma associated with suicide; no matter how many people are lured into its grip we’d rather pretend it doesn’t happen. Too many still wrongly believe suicide is an indication that you’re weak, bad, or both. And if you’re the parent like Wittes, people believe you failed miserably.

It’s true we’ve become a more open society. The revolution that has occurred in the gay community alone is worth noting. People who wouldn’t dare come out of the closet five years ago are now getting married. We’re far less homophobic than we used to be.

Why? Because familiarity begets acceptance. It can be the same way with suicide if we put our judgment aside and listen.

I did that one morning last week when Kelly Wittes opened her life to me, and I get it. Even engaged parents can sometimes feel lost and helpless. They struggle with who to trust, and are constantly searching for that one thing that will help their kid get better. Sometimes, no matter what they do or how hard they try it isn’t enough.

And when that happens, for the sake of other children, they try some more, as Wittes has done. Win or lose, they continue to bring suicide out in the open so there’s no longer a stigma attached to it. Ninety percent of people who take their lives have a mental disorder like depression. The good news is depression can be treated. The bad news is most of us don’t know the warning signs.

Joshua was one of the brightest, sweetest kids you could ever meet. He was a star athlete who excelled at tennis and lacrosse. And when he smiled, revealing the dimples in his cheeks, you melted like an ice cube in summer.

“Everybody loved him,” his mother said.

But he felt alone and confused.

Wittes can’t explain why. It’s just one more question for which she’ll never have an answer.

Here’s what she does know. She and her husband, Rob, were the happiest they’d ever been when Joshua and his twin brother came into their lives 20 years ago. They did their best to be good parents, to be present in their sons’ lives.

Not in an overbearing way but just enough to recognize mood swings, to see to their needs. That’s why it didn’t take long for her to see Joshua was in trouble.

“Something was off,” Wittes said.

He would have outbursts of anger, and when she confronted him he was very apologetic. He just needed something to calm down. Eventually he didn’t care, so he didn’t apologize for anything. The angry outbursts. His violent, disrespectful behaviour.

“That’s when I really got scared,” his mother said.

She and Rob eventually forced him to see a psychologist, and he was admitted into a psychiatric hospital.

When they thought things were getting better, they were getting worse. No doctor helped. No hospital. No amount of love and understanding.

She and Rob were out for dinner the night they got the call.

Joshua had tried to take his life and was en route from the psychiatric hospital, where he was on suicide watch a second time in six months, to a local children’s hospital.

It was March 10, 2011. Joshua was 16. A sophomore in high school, and just like that, he was gone

So now, over a toasted bagel and a cup of coffee, his mother shares his short life, hoping it’ll force the subject out into the open once and for all and somehow make a difference in the lives of others.

It’s been nearly four years since that night and people still ask for one of the bracelets a friend made to help defray the family’s hospital costs, Wittes says, pulling the blue plastic from her wrist. Kids still visit his Facebook page, she says with tears rolling down her cheek. Look at all the stones people have placed on his grave, she says whipping out her cell phone.

“It’s heartbreaking to think that he thought that no one loved him, that they thought he was weird,” Wittes said.

Her honesty floors you. In talking about Joshua’s pain, Wittes has done what no amount of statistics can ever do.

(c)2015 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.), Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Image: Anel Rosas, Flickr