No More Telephones?
A survey by America Online found that the Internet may be replacing the telephone for today’s teenagers. According to the AOL survey, by the time teens reach age 18, 56 percent of them are using the Internet more than the telephone to communicate with friends and family. The survey is based on responses from 6,700 parents of teens and teens.
More Teen Girls Having Wrecks
Over the last decade, American insurance companies have reported a 9 percent increase in the number of 16-year-old female drivers involved in crashes. With those changing numbers come changing costs for insurance. The nation’s largest insurer still charges high rates to insure teenage boys who drive. But the cost to insure teenage girls is going up, too.
Bingo Fever
Bingo may be old news in many countries, but high-tech bingo salons, with their cash prizes and giant video screens flashing numbers at a rapid-fire pace, are the latest fashion in Italy. Decked out in rose-tinted sunglasses and fur-fringed coats, teens in the Italian capital, Rome, are turning the local bingo hall into one of the hottest night spots in town. Seated next to pensioners, students and veteran gamblers, they huddle over their bingo cards, crossing out squares anxiously as numbered balls are plucked from an aquarium-like tank and read aloud.
(Sources: Reuters, ABCNEWS.com)
TV Soap Operas May Help Teens Avoid Aids in Africa
A popular Tanzanian radio serial drama explicitly targets issues such as HIV-related behaviors. Dr. William Ryerson, president of the Population Media Center reported that 82% of listeners, “said the program caused them to adopt monogamy or use condoms to avoid AIDS.” Although the soaps’ longterm effectiveness has yet to be determined, it is hoped that the characters on these popular programs will lead by example.
(Source: Reuters Health)
Graphic Cigarette Warnings Effective
A study by the Canadian Cancer Society reveals that the graphic warning labels on cigarette packages in Canada have been effective in discouraging smoking. 58% of smokers interviewed in the study said full-colour pictures of how cancer affects the mouth, lungs, heart and brain had made them think more about the health effects of smoking.The warnings were so effective that 44 percent of the smokers polled said the new warnings increased their motivation to quit smoking. The health warnings on the packages are required under the Tobacco Products Information Regulations.
Cell Phones In Schools
In the early ‘90s many schools banned cell phones and beepers. However, since the September attacks this policy is being revisited. Not only do teens want the ban lifted but parents as well. “What I’m hearing from parents is that they need their students to have these phones for a feeling of security,” said Montgomery County, Maryland, school board president Nancy J. King. However, some still believe the phones are a ‘distraction’ and should not be permitted in schools.
(Source: www.msnbc.com)
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