Introduction to Teen Issues

Do teenagers get lots of support and encouragement from exasperated parents and teachers? Or do adults think it is their business to tell teens what's good for them? It depends on the way you want to look at it. Or what age you are. Teen privacy rights matter - here (pdf) is a useful overview by the ACLU; here is a summary by the Palo Alto Medical Foundation; here is Planned Parenthood Los Angeles.

In this age of social networking and electronic communities, a common argument by parents is that teens need to physically congregate less. The theory goes that if parents drive them around Encino, then they may not need a car and they will be safer. But this viewpoint fails to recognize that teens do indeed need to hang out together, as well as develop a sense of independence, which is why they go to the Sherman Oaks Galleria or the Woodland Hills Topanga Plaza (the next suburbs over). Unfortunately, Encino is just a bedroom suburb and it's boring for teenagers. Can teenagers be more actively integrated into the few adult-oriented activities that actually do occur in Encino?  Should those activities be designed to encourage more mixing of ethnic and religious communities in its public spaces? Not as long as we/they remain isolated in enclaves...

A few other stats: (1) nearly one in five teenagers is obese according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2) teens now are more vulnerable to high blood pressure and high cholesterol.