Read the text and say what youth problems were not mentioned in it, according to your point of view.
YOUTH PROBLEMS
All adolescents have problems from time to time. However, most young people pass through this stage of development without serious difficulty. These young people make new friends, join clubs, and take part in sports and social activities. For these young people, the teen-age years are generally happy and exciting.
Most of the problems that adolescents have are related to schoolwork, finances, peer group and family relationships. The majority of such problems are minor, at least from an adult’s point of view. However, a problem that appears unimportant to an adult may seem overwhelming to an adolescent. This difference in viewpoints may itself cause problems if it leads to a breakdown in communications between parents and their teen-agers. Most personal problems of adolescents do not affect society as a whole. But certain problems are so serious and widespread that they are considered social problems. These problems include attitudes toward schooling, the use of drugs, early pregnancies, food disorders and delinquency.
Attitudes towards schooling.Education is increasingly important in today’s complex industrial societies. More and more jobs in these societies require a high degree of specialized knowledge of technical skill. In addition, democratic societies have traditionally relied on the schools to help produce well-informed, responsible citizens. Nearly every state of the United States requires young people to attend school until they are at least 16 years old or until they graduate from high school.
Many teen-agers who drop out of school or neglect their studies come from homes where learning is not encouraged. But many students do not fully develop their abilities even though they receive ample encouragement at home. In some cases, parents may need to reevaluate the goals they have set for their children. Even able students may rebel if they feel that too much is demanded of them.
The use of drugs.Surveys of the U.S. teen-agers indicate that the great majority have at least experimented with such drugs as alcohol, barbiturates, cocaine, LSD, or marijuana. Some have experimented with heroin, morphine or other drugs. Many of these drugs are physically harmful if taken regularly. A single overdose of some drugs, such as heroin or barbiturate, can result in a coma or death.
Adolescents can take drugs for various reasons, including peer group pressure, the desire to appear grown-up, the example of parents, and curiosity. Most teen-agers pass through the experimentation stage without developing a drug abuse problem. Others are not so fortunate. Alcohol is one of the most frequently abused drugs among teen-agers, as it is among adults. About 15 per cent of the U.S. high school students may have serious drinking problems.
Early pregnancies. The UK has the highest proportion of teenage pregnancies in Western Europe. Each year in England 90000 girls get pregnant. 2200 of these are under 14, and 7700 are under 16 years old. The British figure for the first, younger group is ten times higher than in Japan, and eight times higher than in Sweden and the Netherlands, where attitudes to sex are more open. According to the United Nations, the dramatic situation with teenage pregnancies in the UK is largely due to the lack of general education and appropriate family support, as most teenage mothers come from poorly educated and deprived families.
Being a teenage mother is not easy. Some pregnant teenage girls decide to have an abortion or give their babies up for adoption. However, some decide to go all the way. Quite often, keeping the baby means never continuing education and ending up unemployed, living on scarce benefits from the state. It seems obvious that prevention of teenage pregnancies lies in better and more open sex education, as demonstrated by Sweden and the Netherlands.
Food disorders.It's common for kids - particularly teens - to be concerned about how they look and to feel self-conscious about their weight. During puberty, kids' bodies are changing dramatically and they are facing new social pressures, like attraction to the opposite sex. Unfortunately, for a growing proportion of kids and teens, that concern grows into an obsession that causes dramatic weight fluctuation, interferes with normal daily life, and damages vital body functions. Up to 10 million teens develop eating disorders, abnormal attitudes and behaviors with foods, which include anorexia nervosaor bulimia nervosa. For most kids, eating disorders begin when they are 11 to 13 years old. While they are more common among girls, boys can experience eating disorders too. Unfortunately, many kids and teens successfully hide these disorders from their families for months or years.
Anorexia may affect a child's growth, bone mass, cause puberty delays, an irregular heartbeat and blood pressure problems, and gastrointestinal problems. Behavioral problems, such as sexual promiscuity, crime (often shoplifting), and drug and alcohol abuse are more common in teens with bulimia.
In anorexia, these signs include: significant weight loss (15% below the normal weight for height), continual dieting (although thin), feelings of fatness, even after weight loss, fear of weight gain, preoccupation with food, calories, nutrition, and/or cooking, preference to eat in isolation, compulsive exercise, binge eating and purging, insomnia, brittle hair or nails, depression with social withdrawal.
The warning signs of bulimia include: uncontrollable eating (binge eating), purging by strict dieting, fasting, vigorous exercise, and/or vomiting, abuse of laxatives or diuretics ("water pills") to lose weight, frequent use of the bathroom after meals, reddened finger(s) (from inducing vomiting), swollen cheeks or glands (from induced vomiting), preoccupation with body weight, depression or mood swings, dental problems, such as tooth decay, heartburn and/or bloating, problems with drugs, alcohol, sexual activity, or crime.
2.1. Agree or disagree with the following statements:
1. Most of the problems that adolescents have are related to finances and family relationships.
2. Most personal problems of adolescents do not affect society as a whole.
3. A lot of teenagers who neglect their studies receive ample encouragement at home.
4. Surveys of the U.S. teenagers show that they have never experimented with drugs.
5. Adolescents can take drugs for various reasons, including parents’ pressure, the desire to appear grown-up and curiosity.
6. Being a teenage mother is quite easy.
7. Quite often, keeping the baby means that the girl will continue education and get a profitable (well-paid) job.
8. Up to 20 million teens develop eating disorders, abnormal attitudes and behaviors with food, which include bulimia.
9. Eating disorders begin when they are 20-23 years old.
(15% below the normal weight for height), continual dieting (although thin), feelings of fatness, even after weight loss, fear of weight gain, preoccupation with food, calories, nutrition, and/or cooking, preference to eat in isolation, compulsive exercise, binge eating and purging, insomnia, brittle hair or nails, depression with social withdrawal.
The warning signs of bulimia include: uncontrollable eating (binge eating), purging by strict dieting, fasting, vigorous exercise, and/or vomiting, abuse of laxatives or diuretics ("water pills") to lose weight, frequent use of the bathroom after meals, reddened finger(s) (from inducing vomiting), swollen cheeks or glands (from induced vomiting), preoccupation with body weight, depression or mood swings, dental problems, such as tooth decay, heartburn and/or bloating, problems with drugs, alcohol, sexual activity, or crime.
2.1. Agree or disagree with the following statements:
1. Most of the problems that adolescents have are related to finances and family relationships.
2. Most personal problems of adolescents do not affect society as a whole.
3. A lot of teenagers who neglect their studies receive ample encouragement at home.
4. Surveys of the U.S. teenagers show that they have never experimented with drugs.
5. Adolescents can take drugs for various reasons, including parents’ pressure, the desire to appear grown-up and curiosity.
6. Being a teenage mother is quite easy.
7. Quite often, keeping the baby means that the girl will continue education and get a profitable (well-paid) job.
8. Up to 20 million teens develop eating disorders, abnormal attitudes and behaviors with food, which include bulimia.
9. Eating disorders begin when they are 20-23 years old.
10. Many juvenile offences are rather serious.
11. Some juvenile offenders have strong antisocial tendencies and deep-seated psychological problems.
2.2. Answer the following questions:
1. What youth problems can you name?
2. What are the reasons for taking drugs by adolescents?
3. Why do teenagers usually drop out of schools?
4. Why does England have the highest proportion of teenage pregnancies in Western Europe?
5. How is it possible to prevent teenage pregnancies?
6. What is the difference between these two maladies?
7. What are the signs of anorexia?
8. What are the signs of bulimia?