Youths in Crisis

It cannot be argued that todays youths are a troubled generation. There are so many shocking events of teen shootings, stabbings and such like events that according to the publication, Professional School Counseling, youth violence is a major problem in our society. Recent statistics no doubt back up these claims from experts. While such events are sure to hit headlines, there are other subtle forms of violence that go unnoticed such as school bullying, shop-lifting and burglaries. One news item even noted that gang crimes account for nearly 70 percent of all juvenile delinquencies. Clearly, ours is a generation of troubled teens.

The age in which youths are engaging in promiscuous sex is getting younger and younger. It is not surprising anymore to hear of children as young as 12 engaging in sexual behavior. Despite the seeming danger of teenage sex, more and more of young people seem oblivious or care less about this dangerous behavior. It is now common for young people to talk of casual sex as just hooking up. Emotional problems have also taken a heavy toll on young people resulting in troubled teens who would do anything to escape from the emotional pain. It is estimated that in the United States, millions of people deliberately hurt themselves. Troubled teens who are self injurers are many. As one encyclopedia put it, those who injure themselves feel powerless and isolated or alienated. These people have trouble trusting others with their emotions and have low self esteem. While many young people face fears and insecurities of growing up, troubled teens have to struggle with these fears in a different way. For them, this struggle can be particularly intense. For them such feelings cannot be put down on paper or expressed in words. Self-injurers seem to feel some emotional relief by cutting themselves at least for the moment.

For many troubled teens, self injury and violence is a mechanism to cope with stress. With so many teens suffering trauma from childhood abuse, neglect or family conflicts, they feel that with no one to talk to, these fears and pressures cannot just go away by talking about them. Pain thus becomes relief since they feel that they can control it. Troubled teens are not the only ones who seem to face increasing pressures of our modern world. With the societies moral barriers breaking down and communication between parents and their children breaking down, many people do not see these problems going away anytime soon. However, when parents take the time to talk to their children and really listen to them, the problem of troubled teens can be resolved.