Teenage Parents And Rape : Adolescence Friendship And Bullying

Leah Dubuc was only 12 when she was charged with criminal sexual conduct in first and second degree. Author Sarah Stillman in her article, “The List”, explained that juveniles are getting accused of sexual crimes as young as nine and are put into these public registries humiliating them for life. These teens haven’t reached the age which they were aware. Not only Children shouldn’t be accused of crimes that they didn’t even know existed but also when kids are put on these lists they are exposed to:

Monitoring a juvenile’s social media that has engaged in raping could benefit society and future possible victims of the juvenile, but it could also help identify the best treatment for the offender.

There are debates on whether or not the laws for statutory rape are strict enough. The age of consensual sex varies from state to state. In some states the age of consent is 16 while others start at the age of 17. Though many of these teens may be physically ready to engage in sex, many of them are not mentally prepared. In their article, “Enforce Statutory Rape Laws to Curb Teen Sex”, Kathleen Sylvester and Jonathan O’Connell talk about relationships between 12, 13 and 14 year old girls and sexually mature men who are inherently unequal, often coercive and almost always damaging. Many of these girls find themselves engaging in sexual activities with much older men. Until stricter laws are put into place, as well as parents explaining these

In recent years, the attention has turned to adolescent girls and to what psychologists call “relational aggression,” or the kind of behavior depicted in the film Mean Girls(I liked that movie though). These girls’ cliques spread rumors and lies, exclude and sometimes show outright physical aggression toward other girls. Their targets are usually girls who haven’t yet started developing physically, who dress differently than others, or who just don’t fit in. counselors who work with girls tell horrifying stories of girls’ cliques and their behavior toward other girls. For example, A mother of an 11-year-old writes in to GreatSchools complaining that girls are teasing her sensitive daughter because she hasn’t developed.

The prosecution of statutory rape laws violations has led many to question the judicial proceedings for cases of non-violent underage sex. Some have wondered if current laws are used appropriately and do they effectively protect minor subjected to sexual

One of the main, big key factors is bullying. Bullying has been known to cause teenagers and young children to go down the wrong pathways, leading to aggression, mental health related problems, ie. Anxiety and Depression. This can carry on into their late 20’s (Bruce Bover), social withdrawal and other changes in habits. Teens who are bullied who end up becoming faced with aggression is due to the gradual build in sensitivity over time. The heavy burden that is weighted on teens who are bullied, commonly end up facing mental health problems which lead to stress, Anxiety and Depression. Depression showing links to aggression as it can cause irritability and sensitivity to violence (Bullying worse for…) in some teens. This can lead to breakouts in fights. Teens who have also been faced with bullying tend to fall into a social withdrawal. Social withdrawals are apart of Anxiety which again, can be caused by bullying. Social withdrawal includes pulling back from partaking in socializing and engaging in any kind of enjoyable activity, this is caused by an upheave or loss of the genetic expression of the dopamine pathway (Choi, Charles Q). When corrupted/tampered, the persona is no longer able to feel any joyus feeling or any form of emotion associated with joy, pleasure and happiness. This can lead to substance abuse, because teens cannot find pleasure in what was once considered joyus

According to the United States Supreme Court’s U.S Code 920 – Article 120, sexual assault and rape (a form of sexual assault) are legally identified as “sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual action perpetrated against a person without that person 's consent” (H.R. Title 10 - Armed Forces 466). Now, in regards to why these individuals inflict these actions are summed up within the same U.S code in that they may be carried out by “physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person who is incapable of valid consent” (H.R. Title 10 - Armed Forces 467). In today’s society, rape and sexual assault on college campuses have attracted massive media attention by climbing up to the #1 age bracket responsible for both allegations and carried out convictions. (Gordon) Among our generation, the question not addressed by the government is what is the common factor among this age bracket that is capable of contributing to this increasing number of sexual crimes across the country? “Music is an integral part of youth culture” (Kistler 2) and has been popularly discussed as the probable influence behind this staggering statistic. Through careful examination of music’s many sexually suggestive lyrics and videos released over the past decade, combined with the opinions of those heavily influenced by music, we can see that musicians with a demeaning, misconstrued message have been involuntarily responsible for measures of falsely interpreted sexual stereotypes which lead to

According to Phoenix police, the girl was lured to a storage shed at an apartment complex. The four boys, who had offered the girl chewing gum, allegedly restrained and sexually assaulted her. The Phoenix police officers called the case, one of the worst they have investigated in many years. The 14-year-old was charged as an adult and will face two counts of sexual assault and one count of kidnapping. The other three boys were charged in juvenile court with sexual assault, and two of them also were charged with kidnapping. (Trevino CNN, 2009) Currently, it is estimated that adolescents (ages 13 to 17) account for up to one-fifth of all rapes and one-half of all cases of child molestation committed each year (Barbaree, Hudson, and Marshall, 1993).

The frontal cortex does not fully develop until you enter adult hood, so teens are using a part of their brain that heightens fears, and can respond with more aggression. In Chapter 9 it explains how teens are egocentric, “adolescents regard themselves as unique, special, and much more socially significant (i.e., noticed by everyone) than they actually are” (Berger,2014). Teens often feel like everyone is judging them, and therefore sometimes makes themselves stand out more. I believe these are one of the hardest years of our lives, while many may disagree and say that these were the simpler days, I personally do not think so. Yes, as an adult the amount of responsibility and expectations are much higher, and life in general gets more complicated, but emotionally as a teen it can be very difficult. With the amount of pressure teens carry these days, because they do feel like they have something to prove to everyone. They still are not fully aware of who they are, and any little “bump” on the road, can drastically change the path that they are on. With the amount of drugs that teens are expose to, it is a very crucial

William Damon is an educator/researcher on psychology and education. In William Damon’s work, he has proposed that children’s friendships are developed in three specific stages. In Level 1, children are about 4-7 years old. During this level children see each other as momentary playmates. During this stage children are all about having fun, with limited perspectives. Children want things their way and do not wish to hear different opinions other than their own. As the child gets older, at the age of 8-10 years old a more profound friendship is formed, this is called Level 2. During this time a child start to build trust and start to think of other rather than just themselves. Children learn the value of sharing and learn how to compromise. Lastly, Level 3 is during the approximate age of 11- 15 years old. During this time, friends are valued the most to a child. This is a more mature stage where children build trustful relationships and a high level of emotional closeness is built. Regardless of age cliques and crowds always develop among children and adults. A clique is a group of member that share common interests, often are of the same gender. The members of the group are often labeled or stereotyped. Crowds are very similar to cliques, both shape the minds of children on how they should act or how they should be. Both add pressure to adolescents under peer pressure such as drinking, smoking, skipping school, or sex in order to fit it. Cliques and crowds develop as a way

Sexting is defined as the act of sending or receiving sexually explicit messages through mobile devices (Temple et al., 2012). The practice is increasingly common among hormone-driven teenagers who are becoming more sexually curious. Although sexting may seem quick and harmless, these 14 to 17 year olds do not realize the lasting consequences of their actions. The reality is that adolescents who engage in sexting are at greater risk of being victimized. Victims of sexting scandals may be exploited and publicly humiliated if their messages are abused or misdirected. In the case where a minor is involved, the act of sexting may lead to serious criminal consequences. Both the minor and the recipient may be convicted of a felony and charged with the possession, distribution, or receipt of child pornography (Jaishankar, 2009). Additionally, those who fall victim to sexting scandals may also be at risk of victim-blaming and victim-shaming. Both approaches hold the victim accountable for his/her own victimization and believe that he/she shares some responsibility for the harm directed against them. Nevertheless, the act of sexting can cause an individual to become a victim of bullying, blackmail, unwanted attention, and psychological distress (Temple et al., 2012).

Children Relational Aggression: 
The Effect of Children Aggressive on Peers Interaction
and the Gender Differences in the expression of aggression

“Nearly 1.5 million high school students across the country experience physical violence at the hands of a dating partner each year” (Duret). Teenage dating violence is on the rise. Due to recent advances in technology, abuse issues are more prevalent; technology allows room for students to lash out over text messaging and through social media. However, teen violence can be prevented. The government has established laws and campaigns to educate and protect victims. Teenagers go through many changes during their adolescent years and peer influence can make it hard to decipher between right and wrong. However, by high school, teenagers should be able to determine and understand healthy relationships; unfortunately, teenage dating violence statistics continue to rise at alarming rates.

Previous research concerning peer aggression has been conducted under the assumption that women rarely display aggression; therefore, aggressive behavior has historically been viewed as a male phenomenon (Björkqvist, 1994). Recently, many researchers have challenged the gender bias in the existence of aggressive behaviors and have broadened the definition of aggression. Björkqvist’s research suggests sex differences exist in the quality of the aggression, but not the quantity. According to Paquette and Underwood (1999), an adolescent’s expression of anger and contempt for peers can sometimes be expressed through physical aggression, manipulation, exclusion, and/or gossip. This broader definition allows for

Relational aggression (RA) is defined as nonphysical behaviors that aim to deliberately cause harm to another individual by destroying relationships, harming social status or self-esteem, or public embarrassment (Crick, Werner, Casas, O’Brien, Nelson, Grotpeter, & Markon, 1999). Examples include behaviors such as purposely ignoring a peer, spreading rumors, creating undesirable gossip, and excluding a peer from group activities, (Crick, 1996; Crick & Grotpeter, 1995; Crick, Ostrov, & Werner, 2006). RA can occur as early as preschool years, and plays a huge role in the interactions among this population with behaviors such as covering one’s ears as a sign of ignoring another peer (Bonica, Arnold, Fisher, Zeljo, & Yershova, 2003; Crick et al.,