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The Guardian - Teenage drink and drug abuse rife

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The Guardian - Teenage drink and drug abuse rife

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This newspaper article focuses mainly on statistics and how the delay of parents 'controlling' their children's drug and alcohol intake, will assist in the brain and body developing at a more normal rate. Parents allegedly play an important role about what influences a child.

Non- Credible

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Children, Adolescents, Substance Abuse, and the Media

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Children, Adolescents, Substance Abuse, and the Media

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This article focuses on the drug threats towards adolescents and how advertising has effectively played a negative part in the raising of today's youth. It also focuses on the mixed messages our youth of today is receiving. Why is advertising stating that smoking, drugs and alcohol are bad when in movies its 'cool'.

Credibl

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Abstract

The causes of adolescent substance use are multifactorial, but the media can play a key role. Tobacco and alcohol represent the 2 most significant drug threats to adolescents. More than $25 billion per year is spent on advertising for tobacco, alcohol, and prescription drugs, and such advertising has been shown to be effective. Digital media are increasingly being used to advertise drugs. In addition, exposure to PG-13- and R-rated movies at an early age may be a major factor in the onset of adolescent tobacco and alcohol use. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a ban on all tobacco advertising in all media, limitations on alcohol advertising, avoiding exposure of young children to substance-related (tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs, illegal drugs) content on television and in PG-13- and R-rated movies, incorporating the topic of advertising and media into all substance abuse-prevention programs, and implementing media education programs in the classroom.

INTRODUCTION

Although parents, schools, and the federal government are trying to get children and teenagers to "just say no" to drugs, more than $25 billion worth of cigarette, alcohol, and prescription drug advertising is effectively working to get them to "just say yes" to smoking, drinking, and other drugs. In addition, television programs and movies contain appreciable amounts of substance use. Unlike traditional advertising, media depictions of legal drugs are generally positive and invite no criticism, because they are not viewed as advertising. The result is that young people receive mixed messages about substance use, and the media contribute significantly to the risk that young people will engage in substance use.

ADOLESCENT DRUG USE

Although illegal drugs take their toll on American society, 2 legal drugs-alcohol and tobacco-pose perhaps the greatest danger to children and teenagers. Both represent significant gateway drugs and are among the earliest drugs used by children or teenagers. A preadolescent or adolescent who smokes tobacco or drinks alcohol is 65 times more likely to use marijuana, for example, than someone who abstains. The younger the age at which experimentation occurs, the greater the risk of serious health problems. Every year, more than 400 000 Americans die from illnesses directly related to cigarette use-more than from AIDS, car crashes, murder, and suicide combined. More than 100 000 deaths annually can be attributed to excessive alcohol consumption, including the death of 5000 people younger than 21 years. Drug use also represents one of many risky behaviors that occur during adolescence: teenagers who report that at least half of their friends are sexually active are 31 times more likely to drink, 5 times more likely to smoke, and 22 times more likely to try marijuana than are teenagers who do not report such a high prevalence of sexual activity among friends.

EFFECTS OF ADVERTISING

The power of advertising to influence children and adolescents (and adults, for that matter) is incontrovertible. Advertising works; otherwise, companies would not spend billions of dollars on it. Many ads use celebrity endorsers, humor, rock music, or attractive young models, all of which have been shown to be effective with children and adolescents. Advertising makes smoking and drinking seem like normative activities and may function as a "superpeer" in subtly pressuring teenagers to experiment. Research has revealed that advertising may be responsible for up to 30% of adolescent tobacco and alcohol use.

DRUGS IN ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA

NEW MEDIA

The new technologies-the Internet, social networking sites, and even cellular phones-offer new and problematic opportunities for adolescent drug exposure. A variety of Web sites sell tobacco products, and few of them have effective age-verification procedures. One national survey of more than 1000 youths 14 to 20 years of age revealed that 2% reported having purchased alcohol online, and 12% reported having a friend who did so. Prescription drugs can also be purchased online with minimal difficulty. Popular beer brands use "advergames" online to entice a younger audience. Teenagers also see considerable alcohol and drug content in online videos and on social networking sites, on which 1 study revealed that 40% of profiles referenced substance abuse.

SUMMARY

The so-called war on drugs has been waged for decades, yet teenagers continue to use and abuse a variety of substances, especially tobacco and alcohol. The contribution of the media to adolescent substance use is only recently becoming fully recognized and appreciated. The Master Settlement Agreement has greatly restricted tobacco marketing by the tobacco companies that signed the agreement. However, tobacco continues to appear frequently in movies, and this fact contrasts markedly with US reality (approximately half of the US population lives in a community with restrictions on indoor smoking). Moreover, the case is strong for the argument that smoking shown in entertainment media plays a causal role in smoking onset. Certainly, it is time to eliminate all tobacco advertising and to decrease greatly the depiction of smoking in mainstream media. Because alcohol use is still condoned in many venues and use in moderation may be healthful for adults, such severe restrictions on alcohol advertising and programming may not be indicated. On the other hand, underage alcohol use does pose a clear and immediate threat to the teenagers who use it. Taken together, the evidence supports strong actions aimed at the entertainment industry about media depictions of tobacco use and strong actions aimed at motivating and assisting parents of children and young teenagers to restrict access to adult media venues with excessive substance use exposure.

LEAD AUTHOR

Victor C. Strasburger, MD

COUNCIL ON COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, 2009-2010

Gilbert L. Fuld, MD, Chairperson

Deborah Ann Mulligan, MD, Chair-elect

Tanya Remer Altmann, MD

Ari Brown, MD

Dimitri A. Christakis, MD

Kathleen Clarke-Pearson, MD

Benard P. Dreyer, MD

Holly Lee Falik, MD

Kathleen G. Nelson, MD

Gwenn S. O'Keeffe, MD

Victor C. Strasburger, MD

PAST EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Regina M. Milteer, MD

Donald L. Shifrin, MD

LIAISONS

Michael Brody, MD - American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Brian Wilcox, PhD - American Psychological Association

CONTRIBUTOR

James D. Sargent, MD

STAFF

Gina Ley Steiner

Veronica Laude Noland vnoland{at}aap.org

View Abstract

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Children, Adolescents, Substance Abuse, and the Media

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The causes of adolescent substance use are multifactorial, but the media can play a key role. Tobacco and alcohol represent the 2 most significant drug threats to adolescents. More than $25 billion per year is spent on advertising for tobacco, alcohol, and prescription drugs, and such advertising has been shown to be effective.

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Media reporting on illicit drugs in Australia: trends and impacts on youth attitudes to illicit drug use

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Media reporting on illicit drugs in Australia: trends and impacts on youth attitudes to illicit drug use

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This drug modelling program policy focuses on the medias influence on drug taking and reporting with youths, and how the media can impact one's attitude on illicit substances and their consumption. There are a lot of statistics and budget information in this book.

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19. Media reporting on illicit drugs in Australia: trends and impacts on youth attitudes to illicit drug use | NDARC - National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre

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The authors of this monograph had the following aims:

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Principles of Adolescent Substance Use Disorder Treatment: A Research-Based Guide

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Principles of Adolescent Substance Use Disorder Treatment: A Research-Based Guide

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This focuses on affects that drug and alcohol has on youth. statistical research, the affect drugs and alcohol have on a youths brain, and treatments and approaches.

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People are most likely to begin abusing drugs*-including tobacco, alcohol, and illegal and prescription drugs-during adolescence and young adulthood.‡
By the time they are seniors, almost 70 percent of high school students will have tried alcohol, half will have taken an illegal drug, nearly 40 percent will have smoked a cigarette, and more than 20 percent will have used a prescription drug for a nonmedical purpose. There are many reasons adolescents use these substances, including the desire for new experiences, an attempt to deal with problems or perform better in school, and simple peer pressure. Adolescents are "biologically wired" to seek new experiences and take risks, as well as to carve out their own identity. Trying drugs may fulfill all of these normal developmental drives, but in an unhealthy way that can have very serious long-term consequences.

Many factors influence whether an adolescent tries drugs, including the availability of drugs within the neighborhood, community, and school and whether the adolescent's friends are using them. The family environment is also important: Violence, physical or emotional abuse, mental illness, or drug use in the household increase the likelihood an adolescent will use drugs. Finally, an adolescent's inherited genetic vulnerability; personality traits like poor impulse control or a high need for excitement; mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, or ADHD; and beliefs such as that drugs are "cool" or harmless make it more likely that an adolescent will use drugs.

The adolescent brain is often likened to a car with a fully functioning gas pedal (the reward system) but weak brakes (the prefrontal cortex).

Images of Brain Development in Healthy Children and Teens (Ages 5-20) The brain continues to develop through early adulthood. Mature brain regions at each developmental stage are indicated in blue. The prefrontal cortex (red circles), which governs judgment and self-control, is the last part of the brain to mature.
Source: PNAS 101:8174-8179, 2004.

The teenage years are a critical window of vulnerability to substance use disorders, because the brain is still developing and malleable (a property known as neuroplasticity), and some brain areas are less mature than others. The parts of the brain that process feelings of reward and pain-crucial drivers of drug use-are the first to mature during childhood. What remains incompletely developed during the teen years are the prefrontal cortex and its connections to other brain regions. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for assessing situations, making sound decisions, and controlling our emotions and impulses; typically this circuitry is not mature until a person is in his or her mid-20s (see figure).

The adolescent brain is often likened to a car with a fully functioning gas pedal (the reward system) but weak brakes (the prefrontal cortex). Teenagers are highly motivated to pursue pleasurable rewards and avoid pain, but their judgment and decision-making skills are still limited. This affects their ability to weigh risks accurately and make sound decisions, including decisions about using drugs. For these reasons, adolescents are a major target for prevention messages promoting healthy, drug-free behavior and giving young people encouragement and skills to avoid the temptations of experimenting with drugs.

Most teens do not escalate from trying drugs to developing an addiction or other substance use disorder;# however, even experimenting with drugs is a problem. Drug use can be part of a pattern of risky behavior including unsafe sex, driving while intoxicated, or other hazardous, unsupervised activities. And in cases when a teen does develop a pattern of repeated use, it can pose serious social and health risks, including:

school failure

problems with family and other relationships

loss of interest in normal healthy activities

impaired memory

increased risk of contracting an infectious disease (like HIV or hepatitis C) via risky sexual behavior or sharing contaminated injection equipment

mental health problems-including substance use disorders of varying severity

the very real risk of overdose death

How drug use can progress to addiction.
Different drugs affect the brain differently, but a common factor is that they all raise the level of the chemical dopamine in brain circuits that control reward and pleasure.

The brain is wired to encourage life-sustaining and healthy activities through the release of dopamine. Everyday rewards during adolescence-such as hanging out with friends, listening to music, playing sports, and all the other highly motivating experiences for teenagers-cause the release of this chemical in moderate amounts. This reinforces behaviors that contribute to learning, health, well-being, and the strengthening of social bonds.

Despite popular belief, willpower alone is often insufficient to overcome an addiction. Drug use has compromised the very parts of the brain that make it possible to "say no."

Drugs, unfortunately, are able to hijack this process. The "high" produced by drugs represents a flooding of the brain's reward circuits with much more dopamine than natural rewards generate. This creates an especially strong drive to repeat the experience. The immature brain, already struggling with balancing impulse and self-control, is more likely to take drugs again without adequately considering the consequences. If the experience is repeated, the brain reinforces the neural links between pleasure and drug-taking, making the association stronger and stronger. Soon, taking the drug may assume an importance in the adolescent's life out of proportion to other rewards.

The development of addiction is like a vicious cycle: Chronic drug use not only realigns a person's priorities but also may alter key brain areas necessary for judgment and self-control, further reducing the individual's ability to control or stop their drug use. This is why, despite popular belief, willpower alone is often insufficient to overcome an addiction. Drug use has compromised the very parts of the brain that make it possible to "say no."
Adolescents Differ from Adults in Substances Most Abused Source: SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2013. Number of Adolescents Aged 12-17 Admitted to Publicly FundedSubstance Abuse Treatment Facilities on an Average Day, by Principal Source of Referral: Treatment Episode Data Set 2008** Source: 2008 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS)
Not all young people are equally at risk for developing an addiction. Various factors including inherited genetic predispositions and adverse experiences in early life make trying drugs and developing a substance use disorder more likely. Exposure to stress (such as emotional or physical abuse) in childhood primes the brain to be sensitive to stress and seek relief from it throughout life; this greatly increases the likelihood of subsequent drug abuse and of starting drug use early. In fact, certain traits that put a person at risk for drug use, such as being impulsive or aggressive, manifest well before the first episode of drug use and may be addressed by prevention interventions during childhood. By the same token, a range of factors, such as parenting that is nurturing or a healthy school environment, may encourage healthy development and thereby lessen the risk of later drug use.

Drug use at an early age is an important predictor of development of a substance use disorder later. The majority of those who have a substance use disorder started using before age 18 and developed their disorder by age 20. The likelihood of developing a substance use disorder is greatest for those who begin use in their early teens. For example, 15.2 percent of people who start drinking by age 14 eventually develop alcohol abuse or dependence (as compared to just 2.1 percent of those who wait until they are 21 or older), and 25 percent of those who begin abusing prescription drugs at age 13 or younger develop a substance use disorder at some time in their lives. Tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana are the first addictive substances most people try. Data collected in 2012 found that nearly 13 percent of those with a substance use disorder began using marijuana by the time they were 14.

When substance use disorders occur in adolescence, they affect key developmental and social transitions, and they can interfere with normal brain maturation. These potentially lifelong consequences make addressing adolescent drug use an urgent matter. Chronic marijuana use in adolescence, for example, has been shown to lead to a loss of IQ that is not recovered even if the individual quits using in adulthood. Impaired memory or thinking ability and other problems caused by drug use can derail a young person's social and educational development and hold him or her back in life.

The serious health risks of drugs compound the need to get an adolescent who is abusing drugs into treatment as quickly as possible. Also, adolescents who are abusing drugs are likely to have other issues such as mental health problems accompanying and possibly contributing to their substance use, and these also need to be addressed. Unfortunately, less than one third of adolescents admitted to substance abuse treatment who have other mental health issues receive any care for their conditions.

Adolescents' drug use and treatment needs differ from those of adults.
Adolescents in treatment report abusing different substances than adult patients do. For example, many more people aged 12-17 received treatment for marijuana use than for alcohol use in 2011 (65.5 percent versus 42.9 percent), whereas it was the reverse for adults (see figure). When adolescents do drink alcohol, they are more likely than adults to binge drink (defined as five or more drinks in a row on a single occasion). Adolescents are less likely than adults to report withdrawal symptoms when not using a drug, being unable to stop using a drug, or continued use of a drug in spite of physical or mental health problems; but they are more likely than adults to report hiding their substance use, getting complaints from others about their substance use, and continuing to use in spite of fights or legal trouble.

Adolescents also may be less likely than adults to feel they need help or to seek treatment on their own. Given their shorter histories of using drugs (as well as parental protection), adolescents may have experienced relatively few adverse consequences from their drug use; their incentive to change or engage in treatment may correspond to the number of such consequences they have experienced. Also, adolescents may have more difficulty than adults seeing their own behavior patterns (including causes and consequences of their actions) with enough detachment to tell they need help.

Only 10 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds needing substance abuse treatment actually receive any services. When they do get treatment, it is often for different reasons than adults. By far, the largest proportion of adolescents who receive treatment are referred by the juvenile justice system (see figure). Given that adolescents with substance use problems often feel they do not need help, engaging young patients in treatment often requires special skills and patience.

Many treatment approaches are available to address the unique needs of adolescents.
The focus of this guide is on evidence-based treatment approaches―those that have been scientifically tested and found to be effective in the treatment of adolescent substance abuse. Whether delivered in residential or inpatient settings or offered on an outpatient basis, effective treatments for adolescents primarily consist of some form of behavioral therapy. Addiction medications, while effective and widely prescribed for adults, are not generally approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for adolescents. However, preliminary evidence from controlled trials suggest that some medications may assist adolescents in achieving abstinence, so providers may view their young patients' needs on a case-by-case basis in developing a personalized treatment plan.

Whatever a person's age, treatment is not "one size fits all." It requires taking into account the needs of the whole person-including his or her developmental stage and cognitive abilities and the influence of family, friends, and others in the person's life, as well as any additional mental or physical health conditions. Such issues should be addressed at the same time as the substance use treatment. When treating adolescents, clinicians must also be ready and able to manage complications related to their young patients' confidentiality and their dependence on family members who may or may not be supportive of recovery.

Supporting Ongoing Recovery-Sustaining Treatment Gains and Preventing Relapse.
Enlisting and engaging the adolescent in treatment is only part of a sometimes long and complex recovery process. Indeed, treatment is often seen as part of a continuum of care. When an adolescent requires substance abuse treatment, follow-up care and recovery support (e.g., mutual-help groups like 12-step programs) may be important for helping teens stay off drugs and improving their quality of life.

When substance use disorders are identified and treated in adolescence-especially if they are mild or moderate-they frequently give way to abstinence from drugs with no further problems. Relapse is a possibility, however, as it is with other chronic diseases like diabetes or asthma. Relapse should not be seen as a sign that treatment failed but as an occasion to engage in additional or different treatment. Averting and detecting relapse involves monitoring by the adolescent, parents, and teachers, as well as follow-up by treatment providers. Although recovery support programs are not a substitute for formal evidence-based treatment, they may help some adolescents maintain a positive and productive drug-free lifestyle that promotes meaningful and beneficial relationships and connections to family, peers, and the community both during treatment and after treatment ends. Whatever services or programs are used, an adolescent's path to recovery will be strengthened by support from family members, non-drug-using peers, the school, and others in his or her life.

* In this guide, the terms drugs and substances are used interchangeably to refer to tobacco, alcohol, illegal drugs, and prescription medications used for nonmedical reasons.

‡ Specifying the period of adolescence is complicated because it may be defined by different variables, and policymakers and researchers may disagree on the exact age boundaries. For purposes of this guide, adolescents are considered to be people between the ages of 12 and 17.

# For purposes of this guide, the term addiction refers to compulsive drug seeking and use that persists even in the face of devastating consequences; it may be regarded as equivalent to a severe substance use disorder as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5, 2013). The spectrum of substance use disorders in the DSM-5 includes the criteria for the DSM-4 diagnostic categories of abuse and dependence.

** "Treatment providers" in this chart refers to "alcohol/drug abuse care providers." Treatment providers can and do refer people to treatment if, for example, a person is transferring from one level of treatment to another and the original facility does not provide the level of treatment that the person needs, or if a person changes facilities for some other reason. "Other health care professionals" refers to physicians, psychiatrists, or other licensed health care professionals or general hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, mental health programs, or nursing homes.

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People are most likely to begin abusing drugs*-including tobacco, alcohol, and illegal and prescription drugs-during adolescence and young adulthood.‡ By the time they are seniors, almost 70 percent of high school students will have tried alcohol, half will have taken an illegal drug, nearly 40 percent will have smoked a cigarette, and more than 20 percent will have used a prescription drug for a nonmedical purpose.

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Understanding drug use with today's youth and providing not only ways in which to interact/deal with the youth affected, but also other support networks in which the family or affected person can contact regarding more information. Highly credible in my opinion.

Credible

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teenagers; drugs; adolescents; drug-taking; peers; peergroup; self-esteem; alcohol; illicit; illegal; legal;

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Parenting and Child Health - Health Topics - Young people, alcohol and illegal drugs

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Understanding drug use for health professionals, providing guidelines, assessment and treatment options. It makes both parents and youth aware of what to do in situations with a drug affected individual.

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About

A substance can be anything that is ingested in order to produce a high, alter one's senses, or otherwise affect mood, perception and consciousness. There are nine separate classes of drugs identified in the DSM-5 (1) that can involved in a substance use disorder: alcohol; cannabis; hallucinogens; inhalants; opioids; sedatives, hypnotics, and anxiolytics; stimulants (amphetamine-type substances, cocaine, and other stimulants); tobacco; and other (or unknown) substances.

Substance use can be common in young people, and individuals have different patterns of use (bingeing, occasional or continual) and reasons for use (for example as an 'experiment', for 'fun' or to 'escape', to 'join in' with peers, or to get through a certain situation- such as the desire to stay awake).

Where use is prolonged, heavy, or creating social or personal problems, it may meet a diagnosis for a substance use disorder. See Assessment section for diagnostic criteria.
Onset, prevalence, and burden of substance use disorders in young people
Substance use is common among young people, and alcohol is the most common substance used by youth. A survey of Australian secondary students aged between 12 and 17 years, found that 74% had tried alcohol, 15% had used cannabis, and 17% had used inhalants at some time in their lives (2).

Substance use disorders are among the most common of mental health disorders experienced by young people. In Australia, 12.7% of people aged 16-24 are estimated to have a substance use disorder, with higher rates among young men than young women (around 16% of males and 10% of females) (3). Harmful use of alcohol was the most commonly reported substance use disorder (at around 9%).

Studies have consistently demonstrated that the prevalence of substance use and abuse increases with age during adolescence and peaks in early adulthood. Overall, about half of people with substance use disorders first experience substance use issues by the age of 20 years (4).

Despite the high prevalence, people with substance use disorders often don't recognise or seek help for the problem. They also may not be screened for substance use when they seek treatment for other health conditions, which means that substance use disorders are often under-recognised and undertreated. An Australia survey found that despite disproportionately high rates of substance use disorders in young people, there was a very low rate of help-seeking associated with these, particularly in young men (5).

In those aged 10-24 years, alcohol use is the fourth leading contributor to the burden of disease in males (6). The burden from substance abuse is more than three times as high in males as in females (7).

A number of adverse outcomes have been associated with excessive substance use (8-11). They include the following:

In the short-term, excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk of physical injury from falls, violence and road accidents

Long-term harms include liver and cardiovascular disease, cancers, obesity, as well as increased risk of mental illness

Young drinkers have also been found to be particularly at risk of memory loss, violence, and unwanted sexual activity, as a result of alcohol use

Substance use (cannabis use in particular has been researched in a number of studies) poses a risk for delayed social and academic development, and may also impact on brain development among adolescents

There is a close relationship between substance use disorders and other mental disorders, and use of some substances may increase the risk of developing certain disorders (12). However it is often unclear whether one issue causes the other. An Australian survey found high rates of comorbidity in those with substance use disorders (13). 1 in 5 Australians with a substance use disorder also met criteria for an affective disorder and 1 in 3 met criteria for an anxiety disorder.
Risk factors
A number of factors can increase the likelihood that a young person will develop a substance use disorder (14-16). They include the following:

Related to the individual:

Being male

Tendency for disinhibited behaviour (e.g. engaged in risk-taking behaviours in childhood)

Early age of first use (e.g. risk of alcohol dependence is 4x higher for people who first tried alcohol before the age of 15 years, compared to before the age of 20 years)

Personal beliefs (e.g. beliefs that substance use does not have a negative impact on health, or lack of belief in conformity or moral order)

Low self-esteem

Underachievement at school or low commitment to school

Traumatic experiences (e.g. abuse as a child, or being bullied)

Childhood ADHD or conduct disorder

Other mental disorders (e.g. depression, anxiety)

Poor coping skills (e.g. responding to interpersonal conflicts in an aggressive manner)

Related to the family:

Parents or family members have a substance use disorder (heritability of substance dependence is estimated at 30-60%)

Parental attitude towards drugs and alcohol and parental role-modelling (e.g. seeing parents engaging in drug use)

Low parental monitoring or discipline

Poor family cohesion

Patterns of negative communication in the family

Related to the community and society:

Peers use drugs or alcohol

Drugs or alcohol are readily available

Acceptability of substance use

References
1. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. Washington, D.C: American Psychiatric Association.

2 White, V. B., & Bariola, E. (2013). Australian secondary school students' use of tobacco, alcohol, and over-the counter and illicit substances in 2011. Report prepared for: Drug Strategy Branch Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. December 2012.

3. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2011. Young Australians: their health and wellbeing 2011. Cat. no. PHE 140 Canberra: AIHW

6. Gore, F. M., Bloem, P. J., Patton, G. C., Ferguson, J., Joseph, V., Coffey, C., ... & Mathers, C. D. (2011). Global burden of disease in young people aged 10-24 years: a systematic analysis. The Lancet, 377(9783), 2093-2102.

7. Begg S, Vos T, Barker B, Stevenson C, Stanley L, Lopez AD, 2007. The burden of disease and injury in Australia 2003. PHE 82. Canberra: AIHW.

8. National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia). (2009). Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol. Canberra: National Health and Medical Research Council.

16. Crome, I., Macleod, J., Bloor, R., & Hickman, M. (2007). Predictive factors for illicit drug use among young people: a literature review. UK: Research Development and Statistics Directorate, Home Office

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Understanding substance abuse - for health professionals

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A substance can be anything that is ingested in order to produce a high, alter one's senses, or otherwise affect mood, perception and consciousness. There are nine separate classes of drugs identified in the DSM-5 (1) that can involved in a substance use disorder: alcohol; cannabis; hallucinogens; inhalants; opioids; sedatives, hypnotics, and anxiolytics; stimulants (amphetamine-type substances, cocaine, and other stimulants); tobacco; and other (or unknown) substances.

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Department of Human Resources - Drugs and Teenagers

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Department of Human Resources - Drugs and Teenagers

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Reasons as to why teenagers take drugs, commonly used drugs, and what to do if you suspect that your loved one is on drugs. Provides the correct information needed.

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Adolescence is typically a period of experimentation, irrespective of parenting skills and influence. Cannabis is the most common illegal drug used by teenagers, with around one in five having tried it at least once.

Parents typically worry about their child becoming dependent on drugs, such as methamphetamines (speed and ice), ecstasy, heroin and cocaine. However, the more likely threat to any teenager's health is the use of legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco.

There is no way to guarantee your child will never take drugs, but you can reduce the possibility of your teenager experiencing drug problems in a number of ways.

Reasons teenagers take drugs

Young people use drugs for similar reasons that adults do - to change how they feel because they want to feel better or different. Other reasons may include:

socialising with friends, peer pressure or the need to feel part of a group

relaxation or fun

boredom

curiosity, experimentation or wanting to take risks

to escape from psychological or physiological pain.

Drugs commonly used by teenagers

Alcohol, cannabis and tobacco are the three most commonly used drugs among young people. According to the National Drug Strategy Household Survey of Australians aged 12-17 years, in 2013:

72.3 per cent are choosing not to drink, but 8.7 per cent had more than four standard drinks at least once a month.

Around one in six (14.8%) had tried cannabis.

94.7 per cent have never smoked tobacco and just under 3.7 per cent smoked on a daily basis.

According to Australian secondary school students' use of tobacco, alcohol, and over-the-counter and illicit substances in 2011, nearly three per cent had tried amphetamines.

2.7 per cent had tried ecstasy.

Around one in five 12-17 year olds have deliberately sniffed inhalants at least once - such as petrol, glue and solvents.

1.7 per cent of 12-17 year olds who take cocaine have only used it once or twice.

1.6 per cent have tried heroin.

Cannabis as a 'gateway' drug for teenagers

Many parents are concerned that if their child tries cannabis, it will only be a matter of time before they progress to other drugs, such as amphetamines and heroin. However, there is no evidence to support the theory that cannabis is a 'gateway' drug, which automatically leads to the use of other drugs.

Preventing drug use in teenagers

There are no parenting skills or behaviours that guarantee a young person will never touch drugs. However, parents and guardians can reduce the possibility of a young person experiencing drug problems in a number of ways.

Suggestions include:

Foster a close and trusting relationship with your child from an early age, and support and encourage positive behaviour.

Model appropriate behaviour, such as drinking moderately, not smoking and not using illicit drugs.

Establish agreements and guidelines about what is acceptable behaviour around alcohol and drugs.

Encourage a healthy approach to life, including good foods, regular exercise and sports.

Encourage your child to have more than one group of friends.

Allow your child to practise responsibility and develop good decision-making skills from an early age.

Keep yourself informed about drugs and educate your child on the dangers of drug use. Do not exaggerate or make information up.

Have open and honest discussions about drugs.

If you suspect your child is taking drugs

There are no specific signs or behaviours that can tell you a young person is definitely using drugs. Uncharacteristic behaviours such as mood swings, a drop in schooling performance, different friends and a changed appearance may indicate drug use - but they could also indicate other issues that are not drug related.

If you suspect your child is using drugs:

If possible, don't react on your first impulse - give yourself time to think.

Resist the urge to snoop, or search your child's room or belongings for evidence.

Research drugs so that you have the facts.

Raise your concerns calmly with your child when you both feel relaxed.

If your child is taking drugs, don't issue ultimatums.

Try to educate your child on the health and lifestyle risks.

You may have to accept that an older teenager will not stop taking their drug, no matter what you say.

If your child gets into trouble with the police or has to go to court, support them, but let them cope with the consequences such as paying their own fines.

Where to get help

Your doctor

DrugInfo Tel. 1300 85 85 84 [http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au]

Youth Support and Advocacy Service Tel. 1800 458 685

DirectLine Tel. 1800 888 236

CounsellingOnline - for counselling and referral

Family Drug Help Tel. 1300 660 068

Parentline Tel. 132 289

If an overdose is suspected, call 000 for an ambulance immediately

Things to remember

Alcohol, cannabis and tobacco are the most common drugs used by teenagers.

Young people use drugs for many reasons: for fun, out of curiosity, to feel part of a group or to change how they feel because they want to feel better or different.

There is no evidence to support the theory that using cannabis will automatically lead to someone using other drugs such as amphetamines and heroin.

Help is available for parents and young people who have concerns about drug use.

Content Partner

This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by: Alcohol and Drug Foundation

Page content currently being reviewed.

Content on this website is provided for education and information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not imply endorsement and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional. Content has been prepared for Victorian residents and wider Australian audiences, and was accurate at the time of publication. Readers should note that, over time, currency and completeness of the information may change. All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions.

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Adolescence is typically a period of experimentation, irrespective of parenting skills and influence. Cannabis is the most common illegal drug used by teenagers, with around one in five having tried it at least once. Parents typically worry about their child becoming dependent on drugs, such as methamphetamines (speed and ice), ecstasy, heroin and cocaine.

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Survey data on the normalisation of drug use amongst Teenagers and Youth. And is it really the norm? It discusses how drugs have become a normal part of youths lives.

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Reports of Risk-taking by young peopler. Drinking, drug use, dangerous driving, violence, self-harm and suicide.

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RISK TAKING BY YOUNG PEOPLE ABSTRACT Youth is a stage of life characterised by rapid psychological and physical transition, where young people progress from being dependent children to independent adults. Young people may be inclined to experiment and take risks that could impact on their own health and wellbeing and have consequences for others.

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Comparison of drug us in Australia and the United States a seen in 2001 National Household Surveys.

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This was an audience question and answer show produced by Hack Triple J. It heard from many individuals including young drug users, policy makers, parents etc.

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Young Australians On Drugs (DCOCUMENTARY) - NEW 2017

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This articles gives voice to young people who what to hear more positive stories in the media about them not negative ones. According to the article 7 out of 10 articles are of a negative nature.

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As young Australians, we believe that the media often inaccurately portrays us in a negative light.

Now I don't know whether I can believe anything I read in the news - Luke Audas, Cairns, QLD

At the 2013 ABC Heywire Regional Youth Summit 32 young regional Australians developed seven exciting ideas for change. The group who identified the positive representation of youth in the media as an important issue for young people developed the idea getting the balance right .

Check out their idea and if you like it you can apply for up to $10,000 to implement it in your community as part of the FRRR Heywire Regional Youth Innovation Grants.

THE IDEA: Getting the balance right

What if positive stories about youth were portrayed in the media more frequently? As young Australians, we believe that the media often inaccurately portrays us in a negative light. The unbalanced reporting reflects us poorly with stories about, for example, substance abuse, delinquency, risk taking, poor decision making, lack of ambition and disrespect for public property.

A study by the Service to Youth Council (SYC) found that seven out of ten articles written in Australia about youth are negative. The media is a powerful social influencer. People believe what the media tells them. No wonder there are so many negative connotations associated with Gen Y.

As part of National Youth Week 2014, we propose that one day of the week should be dedicated to changing the negative stereotypes about young Australians that are so often reported in the media.

On this day, we'd like to see schools and media organisations work together to connect young people with media professionals, through workshops, speeches or networking events.

Our goal for Getting the Balance Right is to motivate people our age to get active and involved in changing the media's bias for reporting negative stories. We will tell the media our stories, dreams and accomplishments and remind them of the impact their negative reporting can have. In return, we will learn from them about what it's like to work in the media. The partnership will be educational for all and result in mutual respect and understanding.

We want Getitng the Balance Right to bring about accurate and balanced reporting about youth in the Australian media. And in the SYC's next study, we would love to see very different statistics.

Negative stories may sell but positive stories change lives. By nurturing a collaborative relationship with the media, we can get the balance right!

We would like to see National Youth Week incorporate Getting the Balance Right into their yearly events. We invite schools and youth media organisations across Australia to get involved by creating a learning space for students and guest media speakers. Most importantly, people employed in the media, from a local to national level, must show their support.

HOW TO APPLY FOR A GRANT TO IMPLEMENT GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT:

Community organisations can apply for seed funding of up to $10,000 in order to implement Heywire Summit ideas.

Apply by 5pm 7 June, 2013

Enquiries: Can be made on freecall 1800 170 020 or email info@frrr.org.au

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT TO US?

Luke Audas, "When my mate and I were rescued after being stranded in the outback for five days, we were contacted by the media to be interviewed. We were pretty badly shaken so we declined. But soon after we started seeing completely made-up stories about us appear on the news. For example, they reported that we drank soft drink to survive; I don't even touch soft drink. To set the record straight, we agreed to speak to one news agency however they didn't include the part about the local Indigenous fellows who brought our car safely back. Now I don't know whether I can believe anything I read in the news."

If you are aged 16-22 and live in regional Australia, you could be part of the next Heywire Regional Youth Summit in Canberra, February 2014. Simply tell your story and upload it to Heywire for your chance to win an all expenses paid trip to the Summit.

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Young people want more positive stories about youth in the media

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As young Australians, we believe that the media often inaccurately portrays us in a negative light. Now I don't know whether I can believe anything I read in the news - Luke Audas, Cairns, QLD At the 2013 ABC Heywire Regional Youth Summit 32 young regional Australians developed seven exciting ideas for change.

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School Leavers, risk-taking behaviours, illicit drugs and alcohol in Bali.

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Since the 70's Aussie school leavers have celebrated on the Gold Coast, but in more recent years Bali has become all the rage.

This week, thousands of Australian teenagers flocked there to party.

There are no parents, no rules. Alcohol is cheap, and your age doesn't matter.

It's the first night of Schoolies and teenagers are piling into the bars and clubs of Legian Street, Kuta. Many of them have already been drinking for hours.

"We started at the hotel, had a few drinks, had some OP rum, which is 51 standards drinks, I don't know," one told A Current Affair.

"Then we headed to Bounty, then we headed to Sky Garden, had a few more drinks."

Speaking to schoolies on the streets and inside the clubs, it seems that's just what the experience is all about.

"I'm with all my friends and we're all getting f----- up tonight," one said.

It may be paradise by day, but it's pandemonium by night, and alcohol is one of the biggest risks.

"The kids really don't know what they're drinking some of the time and that's the problem," Bali-based security expert Richard Flax said.

Mr Flax said alcohol was often mixed or replaced with harmful substances such as methanol, which can be deadly.

Australians have to understand that Indonesia is not traditionally a country that consumes alcohol. It's a western habit and they've adapted to it here.

There's a lot of very well-made local alcohol, but there's also a huge temptation for people who can make spirits to produce alcohol that pretends to be something it's not.

"We don't know what's in it, but we're drinking it," two young girls sitting on the balcony of a bar tell me.

"You didn't think to ask any questions?"

"No, not really, unless I get sick"

"But then it's too late..."

They don't seem to care, much like another group of partygoers from the NSW Central Coast, who admit they don't know what's in their drinks, but say "that's okay though".

It's called Jungle Juice, a bright coloured drink that comes in a large plastic container.

Curious to know what's inside, I order one at popular schoolies bar.

Besides for the four shots of alcohol I see the bartender pour, he won't reveal what else is in the drink.

Our sound recordist is brave enough to have a sip, and says it's too strong for him. He's a pretty big bloke, about six feet tall.

We're invited inside most of the bars and clubs on Legian Street, almost as if our camera is a VIP ticket.

Inside, young schoolies are having the time of their lives. They're greeted by half-naked dancers, well-known DJ's blast loud music, and they dance in cages or on podiums.

It's around 27 degrees in Bali, and many of the clubs we visit aren't air-conditioned.

It's hot and stuffy, and packed with both Australian teenagers and local people.

Famed for its night life, the bar scene here is chaotic. It is virtually wall-to-wall clubs and pubs, all open till the early hours of the morning and free to enter.

They're just some of the reasons schoolies have swapped Cavill Avenue on the Gold Coast, for Legian street, Kuta.

The cheap drinks - including $35 for "at least 15 vodka and cokes", according to one reveller - are another lure.

Schoolies say they come to Bali for the freedom, and that's just where Mr Flax says they've got it wrong.

"We have a lot of issues to deal with here, but I will say to you Bali is safe if you keep your wits about you," he said.

He says schoolies take advantage of the perception that they're not heavily policed.

They are in fact very heavily policed, but not in the ways we're used to.

Walking the party strip, there's a temptation for schoolies to get around on local mopeds, without a helmet or license.

Here in Bali, police officers are unlikely to pull you over or fine you for using your phone behind the wheel or for failing to wear a helmet. They might, but it's rare.

As we walk the party strip, we come across countless schoolies driving irresponsibly.

Four Australians have been killed in motorbike crashes in Bali since April last year.

Mr Flax says it's a risk schoolies, and even toolies, are willing to take.

"It's not the bikes that are dangerous, it's the fact that people think that it's a good place to learn to drive a bike," he said.

"It's not, it's one of the most dangerous places in the world to learn to drive a bike."

He also urged schoolies to avoid illegal narcotics.

"Don't take drugs, it's worse than murder," he said.

Australian schoolies in Bali say they're offered drugs every time they venture out into Kuta's streets, including mushrooms, cocaine, MDMA and viagra.

"You get offered drugs all the time," one schoolie said.

"It's pretty funny, you just say 'no, I am here to drink alcohol and only alcohol because I am responsible'."

Last year Perth teenager Jamie Murphey's Bali holiday ended before it even started. He was detained after police found the schoolie carrying a bag of white powder.

He was cleared by a forensic analysis, but if it was an illicit drug, he could have been in serious trouble.

Drugs may be rife on the streets of Bali, but it's not necessarily a Bali problem.

Take a walk through Sydney's King Cross and you're bound to be offered drugs.

The difference is the Balinese have a very different attitude to any kind of narcotics or drugs.

Tonight in Kuta more than fifty police officers and thirty village security have come together to patrol the party strip.

They're checking people's possessions for anything forbidden.

Wayan Sumara is the police chief in Kuta, and he takes me through the operation.

"Maybe they bring a knife or forbidden things, for example drugs or alcohol drink. We will check this one," he said.

"This is protecting the area. For the schoolies program we increase the amount of police, the amount of security."

Closing in on 3am, some schoolies are retiring for the night, but a group of young girls are going for a swim at the beach.

"If you don't come to schoolies for the parties, why do you come?" one said.

However, here a good time can change in an instant. Not far from the party hub is the BIMC hospital, one of the best medical facilities on the island.

We find Luke, a young Aussie schoolie, and his friends waiting in the emergency room. They're all splattered with blood.

"I was just having a bit of a boogie and then slipped over and fell on glass," Luke said.

"I realised there was blood pouring out of my back."

Luke's injury is more serious than he first thought. It looks as though he could've damaged a muscle and a surgeon has been called in to take a closer look.

"I just feel like an idiot, I guess my dad was right," Luke said.

"He basically said this was going to happen and it did, so I'm glad he got me travel insurance."

For Luke's friend, Elijah, it's the perfect opportunity to Snapchat his mates back home.

The beach resorts of Kuta and Seminyak may have party reputations, but there's a lot more to Bali than just that.

We're lucky enough to explore Bali in-between filming our story, but for many schoolies, the nightclub hub is all they'll experience, it's all they want to experience.

"I'm here for 9 more days... see if I survive... see if I make it through it," one said.

And from another: "If we don't need our stomach pumped by the end of this, we didn't drink hard enough."
Watch the full A Current Affair program again on 9now.
© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2018

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Out of the country, out of control: Inside the hectic hedonism of Bali's Schoolies scene

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Since the 70's Aussie school leavers have celebrated on the Gold Coast, but in more recent years Bali has become all the rage. This week, thousands of Australian teenagers flocked there to party. There are no parents, no rules. Alcohol is cheap, and your age doesn't matter.

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Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.              

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Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.              

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Figure 4.5.2: on page 6 illustrates the decline in drug use among youth from 2001 to 2013.
According to the Australian Secondary Students’ Alcohol and Drug Survey an estimated 16% of 12–17 year olds had used an illicit drug, down from 20% in
2005.
Illicit drug use was most common for older teenagers, with 27% of 16–17 year olds using an illicit drug in their lifetime however this has declined from 33% in 2005.

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This article suggests a decline in drugs, alcohol and tobacco due to stricter parental attitudes and law reforms in both Australia and America.

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Thanks for your contribution.  I hope you are aware that there are only two of you remaining?

I would suggest that you make use of the reading material for the unit and work your way out from there.  You should actually also be looking at how we think this issue is an issue.  In other words you should make use of the idea about moral panic.  I would suggest you look at the readings for week 1.  I would also be asking myself Why is it a social issue for young people but we don't seem to think it is a social issue for adults.  Again look at week one material  I have also attached a link of a book that may help you.  Some of your sources which you state are credible are actually grey material.  They are not 100% credible as 1) maybe they have used statistics which can be manipulated 2) it is not peer reviewed.

I sent an email and may have also put a link on blackboard about how to tell if something is credible or not.
Just to provide an explanation of the purpose of the padlet this is what I have said to other students: you post anything you want.  Imagine you are researching for an essay and the topic is about depression and young people.  Normally you would look at a variety of articles etc and then once you feel you understand the topic you would write the essay and make use of SOME of the articles you found.  Essentially that is all this part of the assignment is about.  You don't need to talk to any of the group members.  The padlet is somewhere you can store your information and it also allows you to share that with others you will be writing about the same topic.  (Your group members)  You may find when it comes time to write your essay there is 100 articles because each person in your group have found lots of articles.  You then write your essay without needing to do lots and lots of research finding articles because you have worked as a team.  You would obviously not use all 100 articles just as when you research for any assignment you will look at material that you may not use in the final essay but that material has helped inform you about the topic.

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Edited extract of a speech made at the National Youth Conference in Canberra, 2015.

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Edited extract of a speech made at the National Youth Conference in Canberra, 2015.

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Andrew Leigh takes a data-driven look at what the critics say about young Australians. He looks how the positive facts vary amongst negative columnists and shock jocks.

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Reckless beyond words?

A few years ago I came across a column in one of our major metropolitan newspapers in which the writer talked about his horror at the behaviour of young Australians out and about on a Saturday night. He described seeing police and other revellers "routinely disrespected, sworn at, made fun of, shoved, taunted and generally treated like garbage by swarms of drunken youths."

Then, following the recent announcement of a federal government taskforce against the drug ice, I was dismayed to read that "bikie gangs and overseas criminal syndicates were taking advantage of the highly addictive aspect of ice to actively hook thousands of young Victorians."

Both of these stories brought to mind Australia's former federal treasurer, Peter Costello, that noted expert on youth culture. "We do not have to look far to see evidence of moral decay all around us," he said a few years ago. "We can see it and hear it in entertainment like rap music, in songs that glorify violence or suicide and the exploitation of others."

All of this made me start to really worry about the drunken, drug-addicted, depraved young people around today. So, as an economist, I did what economists do: I turned to the data.

I started looking at all the indicators I could find of how young people today compare with their predecessors. We're very fortunate in this country that the Australian Bureau of Statistics collects time-series data on things like school attainment rates, drug and alcohol use, teen pregnancy and crime. So all the evidence we need of young people's "moral decay" should be right there in hard numbers.

Except it isn't.

On just about any indicator, today's young Australians are better educated, more abstemious and less prone to crime than at any time in recent memory.

Take boozing, for example. In the past decade alone, the percentage of eighteen- to twenty-four-year-olds drinking every day has halved. Young Australians are the most likely of any age group to binge drink, but we've still seen an overall decrease in the percentage of young people drinking to excess. Across both the twelve to seventeen and eighteen to twenty-four age brackets, the percentage of people knocking back more than four drinks in a sitting has dropped by about 10 per cent in the past decade.

What about drug use? In 2001, about 28 per cent of people aged fourteen to nineteen had used an illicit drug like ecstasy, pot or amphetamines. By 2013, this had fallen to well under 20 per cent. People in their twenties have also cut back, with those using drugs falling from over one in three to about one in four since 2001.

We don't tend to lump smoking into the category of "drug use" because it's a legal product. But drug or not, smoking rates are well down for young people today. Over the past decade, smoking rates for twelve- to seventeen-year-olds have fallen from 5 per cent to 3 per cent, while smoking rates for eighteen-year-olds have fallen from 25 per cent to 15 per cent. And let's not even talk about how high smoking rates were when Peter Costello was a boy.

Maybe because there's been less drinking and drug use, Australia's rate of teen pregnancy has plummeted in recent decades. In 1970, there were almost fifty-one births for every 1000 women aged fifteen to nineteen. By 2013, this figure had fallen to less than fifteen per 1000. So young people are clearly heeding the message about safe sex and delaying parenthood until they've completed their own growing up. The phenomenon of "kids having kids" is rarer than ever.

Part of the likely reason for this is that young people today are better educated than ever. In 1989, just 60 per cent of young Australians completed their Year 12 certificate; today 73 per cent do. It would be good if this figure were higher still, but it's a significant improvement over only a few decades. Importantly, it means that many more young Australians have the opportunity to go on to tertiary study or skilled work than they did back in the 1980s.

Finally, there's crime. The figures here are a bit trickier, and there's a lot of variation both across states and within communities. But we do know that crimes committed by young people as a proportion of all crimes have trended down in recent years. For example, across Australia young people committed 29 per cent of all crimes in 2008 but only 22 per cent by 2014.

According to the data, then, Australia's youth are actually pretty upstanding citizens. But if today's young Australians drink, smoke and use drugs less, have fewer babies in their teens, commit fewer crimes and stay in school for longer, what lies behind this perception that youth are out of control and more depraved than ever?

For a start, it's worth pointing out that complaints about young people have a very long history. In the eighth century BC, the Greek poet Hesiod lamented: "I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words." In 1843, Lord Ashley delivered an impassioned speech to the British parliament in which he argued that "the morals of the children are tenfold worse than formerly." Some 1960s moralists thought rock and roll music was a gateway to Satanic worship and the end of civilisation as we know it. Humans never seem to grow tired of making unfavourable comparisons between the youth of the day and some imaginary golden past that almost certainly never existed.

Oxford University's Abigail Wills argues that the anxiety about young people today also stems from changes in how we think about their role in the community. She suggests that when people entered the workforce relatively early, young people were valued more for their economic contribution. But young people now spend longer in study and are also increasingly delaying traditional markers of adulthood like buying a home (for good reason, given the prices). This means we have less of a clear sense of how young people contribute, and therefore get more uptight about the ways they are perceived to be failing.

To deal with this, Wills argues that "we need to start thinking about ways of improving adult perceptions of the young, rather than thinking up panic solutions to an imaginary cataclysm of declining morals."

Like the danger of "mansplaining," there's probably a phenomenon of "oldsplaining." As a forty-two-year-old male, I'm at risk of both. Nonetheless, here are a few suggestions on how young people can, in Wills's words, "improve adult perceptions of the young."

First, if you're a young Australian, don't be afraid to raise your voice if you hear or read older Australians talking down young people. There are dozens of opinion pieces and columns written by baby boomers published every day, but far fewer by young Australians. As media writer Mark Davis once put it, some members of our commentariat "have been breathing each other's air for too long." Contest that space in the media and the public's attention. Put your arguments out there and don't let those older voices be the only ones that get heard.

Second, young Australians need to lobby politicians, universities and other civil society organisations to continue collecting good data on young people (and everyone else, for that matter). Worryingly, we've recently seen the loss of many statistical services from the Australian Bureau of Statistics because of budget cuts, as well as cutbacks for research funding across the tertiary sector. We can't prove that moral panics about the young are hollow if we don't have the data and research to back that up. We must not let young people fall out of view because of a lack of good empirical data.

Third, young Australians can draw inspiration from the success of great visionaries. Einstein developed the theory of relativity in his twenties. Picasso painted Les Demoiselles d'Avignon at twenty-six. Austen completed the first draft of Pride and Prejudice at twenty-one. Zuckerberg launched Facebook at nineteen. Don't let anyone put a lid on your dreams.

Finally, don't fall into the trap of getting frustrated and discouraged when columnists and shock jocks criticise young people or fail to acknowledge how talented, creative, community-minded and strong they are. As Taylor Swift so memorably puts it: haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. If you believe in your potential and that of your peers, then the misinformed appraisal of the armchair critics simply fades into the background.

No one's saying today's young Australians are perfect. But the data show that on many measures, they score a good deal better than previous cohorts. That fact should give us a sense of optimism that the future of policy and politics in this country is in good hands indeed. *

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Reckless beyond words? A few years ago I came across a column in one of our major metropolitan newspapers in which the writer talked about his horror at the behaviour of young Australians out and about on a Saturday night.