At long last a simple online tool to help decode text messages: http://www.lgdtxtr.com/

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 2 Comment(s)
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Yesterday I posted a great article on just how much teens are texting these days (hint: it’s even more than you think). So it may be hard to believe that while our kids are so steeped in their own little virtual worlds, they are actually hugging and non-sexually touching each other more than ever! In fact, gratuitous hugging has become so common and disruptive lately that many middle and high schools around the country are actually banning this seemingly innocent gesture. In this article from the New York Times, Sarah Kershaw explores all the ins and outs of the new teenage hug.

So, what’s your take on all this? By banning hugging, are we making it even harder for the Facebook and Twitter generation to develop genuine human bonds? Or do you think teens right now are creeping into dangerous—or at least uncomfortable—territory? (For more perspective, see what our guest blogger Vanessa has to say here.)

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 2 Comment(s)
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Sexting, the act of sending suggestive electronic text and/or picture messages, is something parents must be aware of – and talk to their kids about.   If your child has a cell phone and is 10 or above, you need to have this conversation with them.  Check out the facts below — and the related links – for facts and tips on talking:

How many young adults are sending or posting nude or semi-nude images of themselves?
33% of young adults overall
36% of young adult women
31% of young adult men

How many teens say they have sent/posted nude or semi-nude pictures or video of themselves?
20% of teens overall
22% of teen girls
18% of teen boys
11% of young teen girls (ages 13-16)

Sexually suggestive messages (text, email, IM) are even more prevalent than sexually suggestive images. How many teens are sending or posting sexually suggestive messages?
(More…)

• 	Posted by: Vanessa Van Petten | 0 Comment(s)
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I wore a burgundy, floor-length halter dress, gold dangle earrings, jasmine perfume. My date sported a black tux with silver cufflinks and a white shirt. On my wrist a white corsage, my hair in a loose chignon. We had 8pm dinner reservations at Linq, I ordered the blood orange and beet salad.

My prom was six years ago almost to the day and I remember everything. Prom is a big deal. At the time, I did not think it would be, but those memories are very strong (maybe even more so than graduation day). So, I have a few tips for parents who have juniors and seniors getting ready for their big night and want to make it special and safe.

1) Let Them Work Out a Plan — But Make Sure They Actually Have a Plan
Teens are such procrastinators when it comes to corsages, limos, tickets and after-parties. The key here is to let your kids plan it independently so they feel like it is their night, but just make sure they do it early enough and have thought about all the details. This works really well in a list format. Instead of nagging them about it, I would just tell them you saw this list on a website for teens planning proms (a little white lie never hurt anyone) and thought it might help them and leave it on their desk or bulletin board:

(More…)

• 	Posted by: Vanessa Van Petten | 4 Comment(s)
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A new service from Google may help parents monitor their kids.

“With an upgrade to its mobile maps, Google Inc. hopes to prove it can track people on the go as effectively as it searches for information on the Internet.The new software to be released Wednesday will enable people with mobile phones and other wireless devices to automatically share their whereabouts with family and friends.
The feature, dubbed ‘Latitude,’ expands upon a tool introduced in 2007 to allow mobile phone users to check their own location on a Google map with the press of a button. ‘This adds a social flavor to Google maps and makes it more fun,’ said Steve Lee, a Google product manager.”

More from Yahoo Tech.

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 0 Comment(s)
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If you are like all the parents of teenagers that I’ve spoken with over the past decade, you’re in a continual search to find balance. Parents of teens regularly ask questions that illustrate this, such as: How do I find the balance between being a “parent” and being a “friend?” Do I push my teenager to try new things or allow her to hang back? How do I know when to say “yes” and when to say “No?”  What’s the right level of freedom for my teenager? 

Your search to answer the questions above may frustrate you at times, because there are many ways to answer the questions. And your answers today will be different than your answers next spring, or the following fall. That’s one of the difficulties…the answers change. And except in some key areas like drug and alcohol use, there are many shades of gray, creating challenges for parents.

“Balance” takes on a special meaning when it comes to parental monitoring…a key element in keeping your teens safe from experimenting with risky behavior. What do you consider the right level of parental monitoring? It will likely vary depending on the age of your teenager, and surely higher levels of monitoring are important for younger teens. Here are some well-recognized guidelines:
  * Know where your teen is when s/he is not at home or at school,
  * Know who s/he is with,
  * Know how to get in touch with her.
  * If she has a cell phone, know the land-line phone number of where she is.
  * Know the cell phone numbers of her closest friends.
  * When your teenager is going to a party at a friend’s home, call ahead to verify adults will be present and actively monitoring activities there.
  * If you drop your teen off at a friend’s home with whom you are not acquainted, go to the door and introduce yourself.
  * Don’t be shy to directly verify that no alcohol will be served to minors.

Advice from recent teens: (More…)

• 	Posted by: Guest Blogger: Sue Blaney | 6 Comment(s)
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Yesterday, news broke of a public plea to lawmakers to consider lowering the legal drinking age from 21 to 18. But it didn’t come from a bunch of 18-year-old college freshmen with newly-issued voter registration cards. The push to let kids drink legally at 18 comes from the presidents of more than 100 colleges and universities across the country.

The move has sparked huge debate both supporting and opposing the idea — at last count, Google News picked up 1,500 articles written in the past 24 hours. Here’s where it gets tricky: both the college administrators and the groups who oppose lowering the legal drinking age claim to have the same reason for their point of view — they want to reduce binge drinking on campus and keep students safer. Who doesn’t?

But what about the 18-year-old high-school seniors who would be of legal drinking age to buy a six-pack? What impact would this have in high schools if some students can legally drink? What’s your take?

Update: July 1, 2009

Just came across this very interesting New York Times article stating that drinking among young adults under 21 has decreased greatly in recent years…except for those in college. A 27-year-old study shows that men between the ages of 18-20 who don’t attend college binge drink 30% less than they did when the study first began — but there’s been absolutely no statistical change in 18- to 20-year-old men who do attend a university! So perhaps its the college lifestyle — not the high legal drinking age — that’s causing so many young people to binge. Thoughts?

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 51 Comment(s)
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This is an interesting teen trend and a little scary.  I don’t think this is a ‘new’ trend, but it has recently become popular again.  Basically, teens are injecting fruits (strawberries, bananas, and oranges are especially popular) and then taking them to school, clubs, concerts, or in lunches and eating the fruit and feeling like they are so smart for sneaking alcohol into a place it is not allowed.

I believe this has become popular because:
1) Teens who do not like the taste of alcohol can put it in fruit and get drunk without tasting the alcohol.
2) It is ‘creative’ and makes the user feel like they are being sneaky.
3) It is easy to sneak alcohol into clubs, parties, or the lunchroom inside an orange.
4) “It is more fun” according to a teen friend who reminded me of this trend when I asked her how she was able to get drunk at a recent concert. 

I am not telling parents to check every banana their kid is carrying around, but I would be aware that some kids snuck ‘fruit’ right into prom this year and were able to Tropicana their way to being trashed…oy.

• 	Posted by: Vanessa Van Petten | 3 Comment(s)
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Finally, something good from the internet!  The New York City health department has launched a MySpace campaign to help teenagers deal with depression, drugs and violence.  It’s called NYC Teen Mindspace and it’s basically a page on MySpace with blogs, music, and interactive quizzes that teens and kids will like.  And, most importantly, resources they can turn to if they need emotional support.  There are profiles of 3 kids on the page that personify dealing with depression, dating violence, and stress and anxiety.  Kids who go on the site might relate to these profiles.

The NYC health department says 20% of NYC teens say they do not talk to anyone when they feel sad.  This is probably true around the country and of course, because it’s on the web, this resource is available to teens around the country.  Maybe this page will pique their interest enough to talk to someone and get the help they need. 

To me, it seems like someone in NY is using their head.  Kudos.

(Getty Images)

The link is: http://www.myspace.com/nycteen_mindspace

• 	Posted by: Sarit Catz | 2 Comment(s)
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