Over the last several weeks, several situations have come up that I have come across that have me wondering about the youth of today. When I think of “youth,” I think of the girl and guys that range from age 11 to 18. It’ obvious that technology has taken off to new and incredible heights, but one of the side effects of advanced technology that I think no one anticipated have been on youth relationships. Personally, I wasn’t allowed to “date” until I was 16, but there was the minor flirting and holding hands… nothing major. I am under no illusions that all other teenagers had that same rule (and actually followed it), but I can say that the way world is now must make attempts to enact and follow rules such as “no dating until you are 16” very hard to follow.
For instance, the vast social network available on the internet to children of all ages makes it possible to know what someone is doing, where they are, and how they may feel at any moment of any day. Now imagine that you are a hormonal teenager and you had that kind of access to your romantic partner. You can see where there would be more room for obsession, controlling behaviors, emotional distress … oh, the drama!
Another resource these youth have is the access to celebrity information. It seems that these days, youth take entertainment news much more to heart than I did during my teenage days. Coverage on Mile Cyrus alone has influenced many teen girls into accepting what she’s been captured doing and saying as the Gospel… it’s like they forget or they don’t realize that she is just one girl, living a completely different life than their own, and that those news stories hardly tell the whole truth. Miley Cyrus’ antics when I consider what else is out there like Paris Hilton, sex tapes, sexting. My stomach twists in knots when I think about all the garbage teenagers are eating up.
When I think about ACHMI’s Teenage Advisory Board (TAB), I can’t help but feel like there may be hope for this up-and-coming generation after all. TAB is a group of teenage boys that have been recruited from Auburn/Opelika high schools and they teach each other and their peers about healthy relationships. They participate in “developing radio and video public service announcements, performing in stage plays, and presenting at various conferences.” I see these teens really absorbing the facts they learn about being in a healthy relationship and I fully expect these lessons carry on to their future relationships and their marriages.
Check out these teens at http://realteenrelationships.com/
Cheers! ~Christiana D.
Tags: Teenage Advisory Board
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