In a new article, an assistant law professor at UNC School of Law argues that children involved in commercial sexual exploitation should not be charged with crimes. The article, “The Youngest Profession: Consent, Autonomy, and Prostituted Children,” to be published in the Washington University Law Review takes a critical look at laws that allow minors to be criminally prosecuted for prostitution. The full article is subscription only, but a detailed abstract is available here.
You can find anything on the Internet if you know where to look and self-injury or self-harm is no exception. According to a new study, YouTube, the popular online video-sharing site, is home to hundreds of videos about self-harm, videos that include graphic images of self-cutting. Researchers are worried the videos, which are not age restricted in most cases, may inspire copycats. "The Internet in general, and YouTube, in particular, offers novel ways to reach a greater number of youth who may otherwise not openly discuss their non-suicidal self-injury with others," the researchers wrote. The study, “The Scope of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury on YouTube,” published in Pediatrics, focused on the 100 most watched self-harm videos on YouTube, but the researchers identified more than 5,000. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders says that intentional injury is often associated with “negative feelings or thoughts, such as depression, anxiety, tension, anger, generalized distress, or self-criticism.” The researchers found that females uploaded 95 percent of the self-harm videos posted on YouTube. According to MedPageToday, the study’s authors also have unpublished research that shows that images of self-injury may prompt those who practice self-harm to injure themselves.
The White house is floating the idea of raising money from private investors to pay for privately managed social programs. The Baltimore Sun reports on this experimental investment scheme that would rely on the private sector to develop solutions for problems such as homelessness and drug addiction. Here’s how it would work: A group of investors might fund a program to train teenagers who need job skills. If it brings results, the government would pay them back with interest. If it doesn’t work or doesn’t meet performance targets, the investors lose all or part of their money. The concept comes from England, where the first social impact bond experiment is underway at Peterborough Prison. The British government has a deal with a nonprofit called Social Finance to provide job training and housing for 3,000 prisoner inmates who are getting released. Social Finance is raising nearly $8 million from private investors, and promising them a 13% profit. The Obama administration is asking Congress for permission to test the social impact bond model by creating pilot programs for job training, juvenile justice, education and other projects. The White House wants to set aside $100 million from existing department budgets and spend the money only if the programs work.
The most popular kids in school are probably the most aggressive, according to a new study. While aggression will not increase a kid’s popularity, popularity does increase aggression. The study by two University of California-Davis sociologists finds that popular kids have a tendency to be social climbers, and believe bullying is a tool for reinforcing or enhancing their status. But there’s a very different story to tell about kids who are extremely popular – the top 2 percent. They're actually the least aggressive and it may well be because they feel the most secure, according livescience.com
The study is published in the American Sociological Review, where researchers also report that the nearly two-thirds of kids are bystanders and do not participate in bullying. They recommend that efforts to end aggression and bullying should focus on getting those bystanders to condemn bullying.
America’s high schools and colleges aren’t preparing students for adulthood, says a new study by the Pathways to Prosperity Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The national education strategy has been too focused on academics and not real-world skills, according to the study, “Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21st Century." Many employers are finding today’s young job seekers lack the necessary skills to be successful in the workplace. The report recommends shifting to a two-track approach with an emphasis on job skills along with college preparation. Georgia's General Assembly is apparently recognizing this need.
Confirming what you probably already know, a new study finds teens are more likely to engage in risky behavior when their friends are around. The study by Temple University says the portion of the brain associated with reward showed “greater activation” in teens doing risky things with their friends. "These results suggest that the presence of peers does not impact the evaluation of the risk but rather heightens sensitivity in the brain to the potential upside of a risky decision," said psychologist Jason Chein, lead author of the study. The full study is only available with a subscription but you can read more at Science Daily.
Two new studies say that videogame addiction in kids may have serious consequences. Although most kids will never have a problem, those who do face an increased risk of depression, substance abuse, and lower grades in school. A study by an international research team found that 9 percent of Singapore kids were pathological videogame players. The researchers say this number is similar in countries around the world. A Yale School of Medicine study found only 5 percent of adolescents reported having symptoms of videogame addiction. However, these kids were more likely to smoke cigarettes, do drugs, and get in fights. Reading both studies requires a subscription but Science Daily has more info. You can read about the Singapore study here and the Yale study here.
More people in Georgia are homeless, including families and young people. The National Alliance to End Homelessness reports 20,360 people in Georgia had no home in 2009, up 7% from the year before. Even more alarming is the number of people doubling up, or living with friends or family because of economic hardship: 272,305 people. That’s right- more than a quarter million of your friends and neighbors have doubled up in Georgia, and that number is 10% higher than the year before. The Alliance reports there are also 728 homeless young people who’ve aged out of foster care and are on the streets alone.
Dramatic and comprehensive change is the key to improving school performance, according to a new research paper. The School Turnaround Group at Mass Insight Education says bold strategies are the only way to narrow the achievement gap for low-income and minority students. This advice comes as school systems across the country are applying for the next round of Title 1 School Improvement Grants this year. Researchers recommend that money should only fund bold and truly different programs. They discourage funding for schools that are using the same old strategies that contributed to their decline in the first place. Some other recommendations:
Think Big
Relentlessly enforce accountability for student achievement
Encourage school districts to use partners in bold and innovative ways
Create district level strategies
Communicate with families
Kids are abusing pot more than they ever have before, as JJIE.org reported last week. If you’re looking for some tips on helping kids get over what may be an addiction, look no further. Chestnut Health Systems has provided several tested, evidence-based clinical protocols for treating kids who smoke a lot of pot. Here are some of the titles:
Motivational Enhancement Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adolescent Cannabis Users
Family Support Network for Adolescent Cannabis Users
The Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach for Adolescent Cannabis Users
