I read a couple of interesting pieces about young people, and growing up today, mostly sourced from the US and the UK, but I'm sure they speak to similar trends here.
:: The modern sense of self, and the 'networking sites':
Every advance in technology has raised yellow caution flags waved by old fogies like me. Autos changed the sex life of youth and made the Roaring Twenties roar, and, when I was a lad, rock and roll music eroded moral restraint while fomenting communism, acne and juvenile delinquency. But the social networking sites and cellphone culture aren't just changing habits or style; they are changing the nature of identity.via International Herald Tribune.
:: Growing up on Anti-depressants
Antidepressants are among the most widely prescribed drugs for teenagers in the US, the below links (the first two via NPR), and the NYT article, make for interesting, albeit a saddening read.
- Growing up
- Comfortably Numb
- Coming of Age, on depressant [via NYT]
:: a wounded generation [related to a report mentioning that 1/3 of girls, and 1/5 of boys may be resorting to self harm]
This means several things. It means listening to young people and asking what support they need to put down their blades. It means working to create a culture that makes young people feel more comfortable with emotional expression, be that at home or in school. Our society tends to think there is strength in controlling and suppressing our emotions, rather than listening and working through them with others. This is something that needs to change.
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