A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in March 2023 discovered that the mortality rate for children and teens in the United States surged in 2020 and 2021. Pediatric deaths increased nearly 11% in 2020 and more than 8% in 2021, which were the largest upticks in decades. The increased rate was primarily from fatal injuries
Read moreTeenagers and risk seem to go hand in hand. As teens walk the path of becoming independent adults, exploring their limits and abilities is part of developing their identities. Risk-taking is an important way for teenagers to learn about themselves. It peaks at around 15-16 years and tends to tail off by early adulthood. While it’s very stressful for parents,
Read moreMore than a million kids ages 5 to 14 are injured each year in sports and require a trip to the emergency room, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. Football has the highest incidence of injury, followed by basketball. Along with sports, the agency also reports significant injuries from things like playground equipment and skateboards. While high contact
Read moreRecently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the results of their Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a bi-annual survey that measures adolescent health and well-being. Collected in fall 2021, the survey responses from 17,232 U.S. high school students showed that most of the indicators for teen well-being worsened significantly from past years. The survey showed that experiences of
Read moreHigh control groups are organizations that entice unsuspecting individuals to commit to, and comply with, the group’s way of thinking, acting and believing. Cults are an extreme form of high control groups, but there are many other types, such as political groups, religious groups, gangs, multi-level-marketing (MLM), conspiracy theory communities, self-help groups, activist groups, and lifestyle groups. Some psychologists even
Read moreHappy Fourth of July! Independence Day is a wonderful time to celebrate with family and friends, but it also poses some risks. Thousands of people are taken to hospital emergency rooms in the United States every year because of injuries from fireworks — including bottle rockets, sparklers, and firecrackers. The most common fireworks injuries involve the hands, fingers, eyes, head, and
Read moreThe firearm homicide rate in the United States reached its highest level, and guns became the leading cause of death among children and teens in 2020, killing more people ages 1 to 19 in the United States than vehicle crashes, drugs overdoses or cancer. Almost 60% of teen gun deaths are homicides. Data published this month by the Centers for
Read moreIf you’re someone whose tweens or teens are being taken care of by other adults – whether that’s an ex-spouse every weekend, a neighbor while at work, or a grandparent for a trip – then you’re well aware of the stress and tension that can occur from different styles in caretaking. It can feel frustrating when another adult disregards your
Read moreThe holidays are upon us, and many teens want to participate in parties or other social celebrations. It can be really hard to know how best to keep teens safe and healthy – both from COVID and from typical risky behavior – while still allowing them to enjoy time with their peers. With that in mind, here are some tips:
Read moreTeenagers love social media, and they love dares. Unfortunately, sometimes these can mix into a bad combination. Lately, TikTok in particular has had several dares or challenges go viral that are quite dangerous. In the “blackout challenge,” young people are encouraged to hold their breath until they pass out. In the “Benadryl challenge,” youth intentionally consume large amounts of the
Read moreFebruary is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, which makes it a perfect time to promote safe, healthy relationships to youth. Teens should know that the term ‘dating violence’ does not refer to the occasional argument or bad mood, which are a normal part of any relationship. Rather, dating violence is when someone tries to control their significant
Read moreEver had that moment where you want to ask your teen, “What were you thinking?!?” As teens take the journey of becoming independent adults, exploring their limits and abilities is part of developing their identities. Risk-taking is an important way for teenagers to learn about themselves, and it’s a normal rite of passage. Some reasons that teens take risks include:
Read moreFamily members don’t always get along, and brothers and sisters are no exception. Siblings often experience jealousy, competition, and disagreements. However, there is a fine line between normal rivalry and behavior that is abusive. Today’s blog explains how to tell the difference between sibling rivalry and abuse and how to prevent and address abuse. Our society generally expects fights among
Read moreOctober is National Bullying Prevention Month. With so many students learning remotely this school year during the pandemic, bullying is most often taking place online, so today’s blog will focus on how we can prevent cyberbullying. Cyberbullying can be defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior involving a real or perceived power imbalance that takes place over digital devices like cell phones,
Read moreGeneration Z (or Gen Z), people born between the years 1995-2012, are digital natives, meaning they’ve been raised with computers, have always had the internet, and grew up with phones in their hands. As our lives have become more digital, this generation of youth has had to deal with privacy issues long before they were ready. Now, due to the
Read moreThe population of the United States is very divided along political lines, and the current political climate is volatile. In addition, there have been widespread protests as a result of inequality, climate change, and many other important issues. Many young people are feeling the call to express their opinion and protest injustices. We are very fortunate that we live in
Read moreAccording to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are more than 2 million injuries from motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. every year. The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16-to 19-year-olds than among any other age group. This means that, sadly, there’s a fair possibility your teen could be involved in a car accident before they
Read moreTikTok is a major phenomenon! It was the most downloaded app of 2019 and has one billion active users. It is most popular with users under 16 years old, which means that parents need to know what it is, how children are using it, and whether or not it’s safe. What is TikTok? TikTok, originally called musical.ly, is a social
Read moreSadly, our culture promotes drinking as a way to celebrate Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and other holidays. For example, you cannot find an advertisement or movie about New Year’s Eve that doesn’t include champagne glasses. Unfortunately, as our teens get older, they want to imitate what they see as the “fun way” to celebrate. Drinking alcohol is always a concern
Read moreIf you’re a parent of a teen who is angry, aggressive, or violent, you may live in constant fear. You may feel like you need to tiptoe around your child to avoid conflict. You may worry every time your teen leaves the house that they could get hurt or hurt someone else. You are likely unsure of how you ended
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