US Teens are fairly conservative.

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08-01-2005, 01:28 AM
Agent Proto

US Teens are fairly conservative.

Quote:

Yahoo! News http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050731...s_050731205712

WASHINGTON (AFP) - It might surprise their parents, but in the age of graphic lyrics and violent video games, American children entering their teens remain very cautious about sex and dating and still trust their parents and church.
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In a story on the lives and thinking of American 13-year-olds, Time magazine reports that sixty percent of the 500 surveyed by the magazine are against sex before marriage, and 63 percent believe they are too young to date at their age.

The 21-page cover feature characterizes kids at 13 as "backstage adults" in a particularly precarious formative period.

"It is the age of childhood leaning forward and adulthood holding back, when the world gets suddenly closer, the colors more vivid, the rules subject to never ending argument," writes Time editor Nancy Gibbs.

If anything is surprising in Time's feature, it is how normal and conservative -- in a day of provocative music videos, widespread Internet access, and lurid cable television shows -- today's 13 year olds are.

Nine out of ten of those polled on line by the magazine said their relationship with their parents is good or excellent, and only seven percent said their parents were too strict.

And 63 percent consider their religious faith at least somewhat important in their lives.

But today's early teens face new issues their parents, and even older siblings, never faced, like cyber-bullying, according to Time.

The magazine reports on a Clemson University survey showing that over one-fifth of children in eighth grade, those between 12 and 14, have been victims of on-line bullying, which includes receiving ugly text messages or being hurt by on-line rumors.

And with that, I would like your opinions... especially with the cyber-bullying, which I find kind of silly in the first place. :p
08-01-2005, 01:31 AM
Dixie

Interesting....I never knew.:)
08-01-2005, 01:31 AM
Rye

Cyber-bulling is like crank phonecalls, except online, and it's usually from school mates, I'm guessing.

That is a bit surprising.
08-01-2005, 01:38 AM
Silver Valentines

Well, that really surprises me.
About cyber-bullying: I think that if people seriosly make time to torture others on-line then they honestly need to get out more, but its just what I think.
08-01-2005, 01:38 AM
UWAOOOOU

Well I dont think its accurate because most teens I know think sex before marriage is perfectly fine but yeah, all round teens arent as messed up as the general stereotype.
08-01-2005, 01:39 AM
Shlup

My first thought was that I'd like to know where they got their sample population for those statistics. 500 is a pretty good number, but not all if they're from the same schools.

Anyway, uh, I dunno. Sounds about normal.
08-01-2005, 02:18 AM
Silver Valentines

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evan

Well I dont think its accurate because most teens I know think sex before marriage is perfectly fine but yeah, all round teens arent as messed up as the general stereotype.

thats what I was thinking, I know pleasenty of teens who think sex is fine any time, maybe it was based on just a certain group of kids?
08-01-2005, 02:21 AM
Raistlin

I don't like how "conservative" equates with "church-going."

Republicans are only half-conservative, too.

Anyway, doesn't surprise me very much.
08-01-2005, 02:39 AM
Azure Chrysanthemum

It's just 13 year olds though. It seems opinions generally change drastically between the entering of the teen phase and the later teens, were much development takes place. I'd say 13 is too young for this survey to have a great deal of validity, a 13 year old has only begun to develop into his or her own person at this point.
08-01-2005, 02:47 AM
herbie08

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShlupQuack

My first thought was that I'd like to know where they got their sample population for those statistics.

Clemson University is an agricultural college in up-state South Carolina. My guess is they probably used rural South Carolina as their population, which I can tell you from experience (as if I needed it) is pretty damn conservative.
08-01-2005, 04:02 AM
DocFrance

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raistlin

I don't like how "conservative" equates with "church-going."

I absolutely hate that stereotype. I always get funny looks when I say I'm a conservative atheist.
08-01-2005, 04:08 AM
BatChao

I'd wager that 95% of those teenagers will have sex before they're married anyway. It's the way teens have always been. At the beginning they're all: 'Yea, we are sooooo good. Sex before marriage = BAD!', but then around their junior/senior year in high school and college time, all that goes out the window. Of all the people I knew from high school and college, I think maybe five haven't had sex yet... yea... and I know a LOT more than five people.
08-01-2005, 04:33 AM
spartancode117

Being an american 13 year-old, i dont like music where they cuss every other word, and as for sex before marrige, do what you want. its not my problem.
08-01-2005, 04:33 AM
Slothy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evan

Well I dont think its accurate because most teens I know think sex before marriage is perfectly fine but yeah, all round teens arent as messed up as the general stereotype.

As Behold the Void said, they're only 13. I never knew anyone at 13 who had actually had sex. It isn't really a major concern at that age. I'm sure both sexes are thinking about to some extent, but at that age, most people aren't seriously considering having sex in the near future. I would like to see the survey done with the same people in a 2-3 years though. I have to agree that there may be a significant shift in responses.
08-01-2005, 05:41 AM
theundeadhero

I think the stated Junior/Senior year mentioned above is actually a little too late. The Sophomore/Junior year would be a better representative.
08-01-2005, 07:17 AM
nik0tine

Doesn't surprise me. Most people around here are pretty conservative. Of course, it's not like they think about thier beliefs (or anything else). I think social conservatism comes from the lack of thought.
08-01-2005, 09:56 AM
Lionx

Well if they are mostly 13 they are going to start forming opinions around that age. Because there are alot of viewpoints out there most tend to stick with what they know and adapt over the years and change accordingly..so i bet its damn conservative at first but can go anywhere later.
08-01-2005, 10:30 AM
Reles

Quote:

Originally Posted by Behold the Void

It's just 13 year olds though. It seems opinions generally change drastically between the entering of the teen phase and the later teens, were much development takes place. I'd say 13 is too young for this survey to have a great deal of validity, a 13 year old has only begun to develop into his or her own person at this point.

My thoughts exactly.
08-01-2005, 02:36 PM
bipper

Good job kids! I don't think it surprises me so much. It will be nice getting an alert and moraly strong generation out there!

/cheers :p

13 is a fine age for the survey methinks. Sure you get your car and become an adolesant badass in a few years - but when all is said and done - i think you exit your teenage years much as you entered them
bipper
08-01-2005, 03:08 PM
DMKA

Wait...so being cautious about sex and trusting people at your church make you "conservative"? o___O
08-01-2005, 03:19 PM
Shoden

good on em

better than teens in the Uk full of smurfing chavs and grrr

church?! what use is it? having to get up early listening to some guy talk ages about stuff you already know and that isn't even interesting.

me never go to church never went i'm not religious really i kinda deny god.

this is suprising but this is early teens what about 14-18 year olds eh?

strange i'm suprised
08-01-2005, 03:29 PM
Agent Proto

This is basically about kids entering their teens, and I'm pretty surprised.
08-01-2005, 06:54 PM
Teek

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raistlin

I don't like how "conservative" equates with "church-going."

Agreed. Kids aren't really conservative, apparently. They're just religious.
08-01-2005, 07:35 PM
Itsunari 2000

Kids are stupid and annoying.
08-01-2005, 11:18 PM
-N-

Although 13 does seem too young, I'd have less of a problem with older (i.e. 17+) year olds screwing around than with 13 year olds. It's good that they retain some sense of structure until at least that age.
08-02-2005, 01:48 AM
Raistlin

Quote:

Originally Posted by nik0tine

Doesn't surprise me. Most people around here are pretty conservative. Of course, it's not like they think about thier beliefs (or anything else). I think social conservatism comes from the lack of thought.

Social conservatism comes from "I think this way, no one else should be allowed to think any other way!" It's so completely against political/economic conservative ideas that I have a tough time grasping that there are idiots out there that think that way.
08-02-2005, 01:52 AM
lordblazer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Behold the Void

It's just 13 year olds though. It seems opinions generally change drastically between the entering of the teen phase and the later teens, were much development takes place. I'd say 13 is too young for this survey to have a great deal of validity, a 13 year old has only begun to develop into his or her own person at this point.

Yeah most 13 year olds are naive.And people who think abstenance is what we should do.IS also naive.

People should only have sex when they are ready to accept the responsibilities of those consequences.
08-02-2005, 06:28 PM
DMKA

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shoden

better than teens in the Uk full of smurfing chavs and grrr

It's no better here...it's probably much worse, and I think this "finding" is crap personally.
08-02-2005, 06:35 PM
Azure Chrysanthemum

Quote:

I think this "finding" is crap personally.

Basically what I said, albeit much less bluntly :D
08-02-2005, 06:41 PM
lordblazer

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordblazer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Behold the Void

It's just 13 year olds though. It seems opinions generally change drastically between the entering of the teen phase and the later teens, were much development takes place. I'd say 13 is too young for this survey to have a great deal of validity, a 13 year old has only begun to develop into his or her own person at this point.

Yeah most 13 year olds are naive.And people who think abstenance is what we should do.IS also naive.

People should only have sex when they are ready to accept the responsibilities of those consequences.
08-03-2005, 12:06 AM
CloudSquallandZidane

At the age of 13 i didnt beileve in sex before marriage either... Now it seems very real to me ;)
08-03-2005, 12:40 AM
MAS82587

id like to see the same poll done, when they're all 17. i bet it drops to about 35%.
lots of REALLY young teens are afraid of sex and not totally comfortable with their bodies yet, so i dont know how accurate this poll really is.
its crazy how many ppl become sluts and man-whores in high school.
08-05-2005, 05:53 PM
eestlinc

children at that age are mostly a relfection of their parents anyway.
08-05-2005, 08:00 PM
DMKA

Quote:

Originally Posted by eestlinc

children at that age are mostly a relfection of their parents anyway.

That's true too.