From Deseret News archives:
New age teens — Security, bullying and sex among Utah trends
Deseret Morning News special projects reporter Lucinda Dillon Kinkead spent three months talking to dozens of teens about dating and drugs, peer pressure and families, sex and an increasingly unsettled world. We share the results of these conversations in a five-part series "The State of Teens," which begins today.
They wear pimples and attitudes with the awkward confidence that comes with their age.
They experiment with drugs, sex and the way they dress.
Many of the age-old issues on the journey from child to adult haven't changed for Utah teens. They still fight the battle of independence. They challenge their parents about clothes, curfews, friends and time at home with family. They want more privacy, more respect, more money.
But interviews by the Deseret Morning News with dozens of Utah teens, their parents, teachers, counselors and church leaders reveal several trends among the young people who will be the backbone of Utah's population tomorrow.
• Despite what they say, Utah teenagers crave attention and affirmation from parents like never before.
• Many young Utah women engage in oral sex and other sexual behavior while refraining from actual intercourse. Sexually transmitted diseases among teens are on the rise. So are pregnancies among girls younger than age 15.
• Young women are more creative in the ways they are mean to one another, a growing trend forcing schools and therapists to address the physical and emotional consequences of bullying.
• Record numbers of teens are living in poverty, which creates other problems when they can't pay for food, supplies and sports or activities that bond teens to their school.
"Teenagers today are really facing some challenges — especially in the areas of drugs and morality," said Cheryl Thompson, mom to three teenage girls ages 13, 16 and 18 and also a teacher and counselor to "at-risk" teens in the Provo School District.
