by Liz Orton

Created on: April 05, 2007   Last Updated: May 16, 2007

There's a growing problem with America's youth. Underage and binge drinking, violent crimes, bullying, depression, teen suicide, peer pressure, and low test scores are only a handful of things that teens deal with today. So where does this problem start? Is it simple teen rebellion? Or is it that they never learned any better?

The Problem

According to a study done by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, one-third of 4th graders experience pressure to drink alcohol from their peers. By the time they reach 6th grade, more than half of the students have been pressured to drink. Eighty percent of students have used alcohol by the time they are high school seniors. In college, 40% of young adults are binge drinkers (Wikipedia defines "binge drinking" as "five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women per occasion").

Drinking can lead to fatal accidents - 60% of teenage fatalities in car accidents are due to drunk driving. It can also lead to physical and psychological problems such as alcohol poisoning, alcoholism, depression, and anxiety.

Another problem with teens is crime. School shootings and fights recorded on video and posted on YouTube are two issues that are prevalent in the news recently. But most crimes don't get as much national attention. Fights and theft leave thousands of children and young adults in juvenile detention, and if the crime is serious enough, prison.

Perhaps not as violent, but certainly a serious and common problem with school-age kids is bullying. According to an article published on ERIC Digest, 15% of students have either been bullied or have bullied another student. Bullying can consist of mental or physical abuse. The victims are usually weaker than the bully and have low self-esteem. Bullying occurs most often in middle school and junior high, but is still present in elementary school and high school. Often times, children who bully other kids during school experience legal or criminal problems as adults. Children who have been bullied are more likely to experience depression.

Teen depression is rampant in America. One in eight teens have struggled with depression at one point or another, but only 30% receive treatment. This is a major contributor to the high suicide rate in teens. Suicide was the third leading cause of death among young adults in 2001.

One serious issue that is almost clich is peer pressure. The phrase is commonly used in regards to underage drinking, sex, and drug use. Surely

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