Speaking of gift ideas, the National Institute on Media and the Family has a 2008 MediaWise Video Game Buying Guide including a list of great games for kids.

Melisa’s son experienced his first lockdown at his high school. How scary!

Teens prefer Gmail for their email needs, but texting is still their favorite form of communication.

Kids are actually learning life lessons by sending all those text messages.

But there are definitely some downsides of texting, including swollen thumbs, big bills, and sexting.

Flirting has gone high tech with about 20% of teens sending naked or semi-naked pictures of themselves via text message or posting them on the internet.

Expert says teens shouldn’t have cameras on their cell phones to curb sexting. Do they still make cell phones without cameras?

Dating 2.0 where cell phones play a big part in today’s relationships (aside from sexting).

There’s a new device to help protect our teen drivers; a car key that prevents them from being able to make a call or text while driving.

Too much TV can cause behavioral problems.

Teen smoking and alcohol use is declining, but the recent decrease in marijuana use has halted and prescription drug abuse is still a big concern.

Teens have gone past cutting and our now inserting objects in to their bodies.

Nearly 1 in 5 young American adults has a personality disorder. How do you know if it’s regular teen attitude or something more?

Teens are starting to feel the recession crunch.

Some college students are coming home for winter break to find their parents can’t afford to send them back for the spring term.

Is the recession a good thing for Gen Y?

Today’s teens are lying, stealing, and cheating. And they aren’t even ashamed of it.

Here’s 10 tips for your teen test taker.

Warner Bros is pushing a music tax to universities to allow file sharing without prosecution.

College students are choosing Time over Cosmo and want to be more informed.

Is Gen Y Too Soft to Be Entrepreneurs?

Schools are curbing teasing, but there are benefits to a little harmless teasing.

Pro-skater isn’t pushing her kids in to sports. Instead she wants them to enjoy many activities during their youth.

Char created a template for a printable training journal for girls. Very cool!

Exercise may help obese kids control their anger.

Is obesity genetic?

Post from: Blisstree

Sunday Reading

With summer jobs hard to find, some teens have turned to Second Life to make money. They can sell virtual goods online and make real money right from their couch.

Is 11th grade the most difficult year for ambitious high schoolers? “More than half the students reported that they had dropped an activity or hobby they enjoyed because schoolwork took too much time. More than three-quarters reported experiencing one or more stress-related physical problems in the month prior to the survey, with more than 50% reporting headaches, difficulty sleeping, or exhaustion. About 9% said they had illegally used prescription drugs like Adderall or Ritalin to stay up and study; 25% said they used stimulants like Red Bull or No-Doz.”

According to a new study, teens are not engaging in oral sex to preserve their virginity. In reality teens are becoming sexual active in multiple ways at the same time. “The analysis of a federal survey of more than 2,200 males and females aged 15 to 19, released yesterday, found that more than half reported having had oral sex. But those who described themselves as virgins were far less likely to say they had tried it than those who had had intercourse.”

Some school are experimenting with healthier snacks in vending machines. It’s a start, but we could do better. Dr. Robyn Silverman gives us some tips on how to make a change.

Sixth graders are having sex in school. And videotaping it.

Post from: Blisstree

Sunday Reading

Adventures in Parenting has the sixth and final article on effective discipline. Check out the series.

Online Teen Magazine has some tips for overcoming jealousy in a relationship.

The WSJ has an article about teens abusing prescription drugs.

A Long Island school tries to wean teens off of gossip one hour at a time.

New teen driving laws in Boston seem to be working to keep teens safe on the road.

Do you need some tips on how to talk to your teens about the upcoming election? BlogHer has you covered with links to several articles.

Kidz World has an interview with the Guitar Hero World Champ, Chris Chike. Have you played Guitar Hero? It’s quite addicting. I’ve gotten pretty good on the easy level.

A professor at Syracuse University walks out of class if students disrespect him by texting in class. How do you feel about this?

SciFi.com is launching a gaming blog. I’m pretty sure my boys will be grabbing their RSS feed.

Is using GPS to keep track of teens a way to keep them safe or is it just to spy on them?

I know some schools have boys and girls rooms on the same floor, but now some schools have mixed-gender dorm rooms. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that.

The glamorization of drugs in rap music has increased considerably over the last several years.

Emo bashing has become a big problem in Mexico.

Nickelodeon is planning their own version of High School Musical, called Spectacular.

There is a graduation gap between big cities and suburbs.

Getting teens a credit card does not teach them to be responsible financially. In fact it does just the opposite.

Post from: Blisstree

Sunday Reading