Teens at Risk | Introduction
According to a 1997 nationwide survey conducted by the Public Agenda Foundation and the Advertising Council, a vast majority of adults—nine out of ten—are pessimistic about the future of today’s youth. As analysts of the survey conclude, “Americans are convinced that today’s adolescents face a crisis.” Many social critics contend that the stresses of modern-day society—including violence in the schools, deteriorating family security, and an overdose of disturbing media images—put teens at risk of never reaching their full potential.Teens who have trouble coping with such enormous pressures, some maintain, resort to drug and alcohol use, violence, sexual relationships that often result in pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases, and sometimes suicide.
However, other commentators criticize the tendency to view teenagers as “troubled” and insist that today’s teenagers face no more hardships than those of past generations. Furthermore, these critics argue that many of the problems teens encounter— in particular, academic competition, financial worries, and relationship issues—are nothing new. As writer Andrea Young Ward contends, “Gangs and drug abuse are not unique to the ’90s.” In fact, some say that the elimination of social taboos, which previously prevented people from speaking openly about sex, drugs, and other sensitive issues, has made it easier for teenagers to cope with problems.
In judging the condition of today’s youth, researchers often look to suicide rates as an indicator of how teens are doing. Some assert that teen suicide rates are rising, reflecting an overall downward trend for today’s youth. The American Association of Suicidology reports that between 1980 and 1994, suicide rates increased 30 percent for teens aged fifteen to nineteen.The increase in teenage suicide rates, observers claim, is glaring evidence that teens are distressed, desperate, and without hope for the future.
These commentators allege that among certain groups of teenagers, the incidence of suicide is rising at a horrifying rate. For example, according to one statistic, the suicide rate for fifteen- to nineteen-year-old black males has increased 164 percent between 1980 and 1992—and continues to rise. Moreover, many researchers believe that a significant number of suicides committed by young African-American males go unreported. As columnist Fern Shen notes, the suicide of adolescent black males “often is masked by labels such as ‘drug overdose’ or by situations in which the victim purposely provokes a police officer or other person to kill him.” Journalist and political commentator Clarence Page refers to the tendency of young black males to place themselves in highly dangerous situations as “suicide by other means.”
Another group at a high risk of suicide, some maintain, is gay teens. According to a 1989 report by the Department of Health and Human Services, 30 percent of five hundred gay and lesbian youths interviewed in San Francisco had attempted suicide at least once. Social critics say that the isolation gay teens experience, due to fears of rejection or attempts to conceal their sexual identity, puts them at a serious risk of suicide. Furthermore, notes one government study, gay teens are more likely to engage in the types of behaviors that increase their chances of committing suicide, including drug use and sexual activity.
With surveys documenting that 60 percent of teens personally know a teenager who has tried to commit suicide, it seems as though suicide is pandemic among today’s youth. However, the notion that teen suicide rates are skyrocketing does not go undisputed. A number of critics maintain that flawed statistics create a deceptive picture about teens. Mike Males, author of The Scapegoat Generation: America’s War on Adolescents, offers a different explanation for the increasing numbers of teen suicides. In the past, he maintains, many teen suicides committed with a firearm were labeled “accidents” due to the social stigma surrounding teenage suicide; today, the correct labeling of firearm deaths as suicides gives the false impression that teen suicide has increased, when actually it has remained nearly the same.
Moreover, some argue that teen suicide rates do not provide a clear picture of the condition of teens in general. For example, according to Males, teen suicide rates in the state of California have decreased by 30 percent since 1970, despite the concurrent rise in homelessness, AIDS, and gang violence—not to mention a greater availability of guns and deadly drugs. The fact that teen suicide is declining while risky behavior is increasing, claim ob- servers, suggests that teen suicide might not be an accurate way to assess the overall situation of teens.
Furthermore, says Males and others, teenage suicide, while horrible from any standpoint, can be put into perspective when the rate of teen suicide is compared to that of other age groups. Excluding young children, teenagers are the least likely group to commit suicide—far less likely than adults. In fact, the group most likely to commit suicide is the elderly, who have a suicide rate 2.5 times that of teenagers.
Numerous researchers also dispute the notion that gay teenagers are at a high risk of committing suicide. While a variety of media sources have reported that gay and lesbian teenagers are two to three times more likely than heterosexual teens to commit suicide, other commentators contend that these claims are unsubstantiated. They allege that the statistic about gay teen suicides originated from a single essay written by a San Francisco social worker who based his figures on methodologically flawed studies. In fact, a 1994 panel composed of social analysts and mental health advocates found that “there is no populationbased evidence that sexual orientation and suicidology are linked in some direct or indirect manner.”
Some of those who feel teen suicide is not as common as it is portrayed to be argue that it is dangerous to overstate the problem of teen suicide: If teens feel “everybody is doing it,” they may begin to view suicide as an acceptable way of coping with their struggles. Others declare that “copycat suicides” are a myth. As Mary Kluesner, President of Suicide Awareness/Voices of Education notes, “There are no documented scientific studies, only rumor and assumed belief, that contagion is a reality. Suicide contagion is very, very rare.”
The suicide rate is just one barometer of the quality of teens’ lives. Other signals include the rates of teen pregnancy, drug use, and crime. These and other issues are addressed in Teens at Risk: Opposing Viewpoints, which contains the following chapters: What Factors Put Teens at Risk? How Can Society Deal with Teenage Crime and Violence? How Can Teen Pregnancy Be Prevented? What Role Do the Media and Government Play in the Problem of Teen Substance Abuse? Throughout these chapters, the authors assess the risks that today’s teens face and present potential solutions to these problems.
