About.com Teen Advice

Why Your Parents Don't Want You to Watch Gossip Girl

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:24:13 +0000

This week's Gossip Girl is going to be awfully controversial. According to previews, three of the characters are going to have a threesome (or "3SOME," as the ads are spelling it).

Now that I've told you that, you're probably more likely to watch it than before, to the bane of parents everywhere - including the Parents Television Council. They're worried that showing a graphic sex act that's usually only seen in adult movies will change what teens think of as normal sexual behavior, which could be "emotionally and psychologically damaging."

Sexy teen television and movies have always been around (from Madonna videos to American Pie). It's hard to imagine Blair Waldorf, Chuck Bass and the gang changing much about what teens think about sex.

If there is a rise in unsafe sex or teen threesomes after Monday's Gossip Girl episode, you can be sure it's 'cause of foolish people who don't bother to learn the facts: namely, that any kind of sex other than safe sex is idiotic, and that no one's having threesomes other than fictional prep school students with nothing better to do.

The Most Important Things Teens Should Know About Sex
Safe Sex 101
Sex: Do You Know Your Stuff?

Why Your Parents Don't Want You to Watch Gossip Girl originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 14:24:13.
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How Do You Make New Friends?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:02:20 +0000

This week in the Teen Advice Forum, Lil_J asked a question about how to make friends:

Well i need help in making new friends in high school but the bad thing is im shy. i need advice to help me to boost my confidence in meeting new people, having a great friendship, and even having a new best friend???

I gave him some friend-making advice, but I bet he'd love to hear from you. Stop by the forum and tell him what you think.

And if you've got your own question about friends, dating, parents or anything else, be sure to ask it in the forum and we'll come help you out!

How Do You Make New Friends? originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 17:02:20.

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Drink, Drink, Drink Till Your Brain Disappears

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:03:26 +0000

A new study out of Australia found that, as dumb as it is, some teens are drinking so much at once that they're blacking out. More than a quarter of 15-year olds down under say it's happened to them.

Not only can blackouts cause permanent brain damage (especially in teens), they also erase big chunks of your memory, making you forget all the dumb stuff you did the night before because you were too drunk to control yourself.

Plus, there's an 800% greater chance that someone will doodle stuff on your face and upload a picture of it to Facebook.

If you go to a party, it's really not that hard to make it through the night without drinking alcohol. Read these tips on how to do it in style.

And if you insist on drinking, please promise me you'll switch to soda as soon as you feel a little buzzed. It's way more mature than losing your control (or your consciousness). And I really want you to make it to your 20's with all of your brain intact.

Drink, Drink, Drink Till Your Brain Disappears originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 16:03:26.

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Why You Might Get Swine Flu This Season

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:03:30 +0000

You know all those news stories and warnings you've been hearing about the H1N1 virus, or swine flu? If you're a teen, you'd better listen up.

Unlike other flu strains that hit very young and very old people the worst, the H1N1 has been going after kids and teens the most ravenously. Why? Probably because their immune systems aren't as built-up as adults.

The good news is, most cases of H1N1 aren't much worse than a bad flu, and if you do catch it, it can usually be treated with pain relievers, cold medicine, clear liquids and lots of rest.

Still, catching the flu is no fun. So if you're not lucky enough to get one of the limited number of vaccine shots going around, take extra precautions this season: wash your hands regularly; avoid touching your mouth, eyes and nose; and steer clear of anyone with flu symptoms.

For more about the H1N1 - everything you need to know, really - check these swine flu FAQ's.

Why You Might Get Swine Flu This Season originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at 14:03:30.

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What Just One Cigarette Can Do

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:27:55 +0000

Think just one cigarette can't hurt you? A new study disagrees.

The study found that smoking a single cigarette can stiffen teens' arteries, forcing your heart to work harder and increasing your chances of getting a stroke or heart disease later in your life.

Yet another reason to stay away from cigarettes (as if the coughing and icky smell weren't enough).

What Just One Cigarette Can Do originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 17:27:55.

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Don't Know Where to Volunteer? Make Something Up!

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:02:57 +0000

If you've got community service hours you need to fill for school, it can be hard to know where to begin.

Here's some inspiration: for their annual Teens Make a Difference Day, about 2,500 Texans spent an afternoon doing everything from cleaning to gardening to visiting with senior citizens, then they topped it all off with a pizza party.

How about throwing your own Make a Difference Day with your friends? Call your local City Hall and see what projects they need help with, then divvy them up among your pals. And of course, when the day is done, throw yourselves a pizza party.

If that's not your cup of tea, check out this list of other fun ways to fill your volunteer hours that you might not have considered.

Don't Know Where to Volunteer? Make Something Up! originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 17:02:57.

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Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:06:32 +0000

Halloween is just a couple of days away! If you still haven't come up with a costume yet, try one of these easy-peasy costumes that won't require you to shop much further than your own closet:

Wear a bathing suit, shorts and flip flops, put a towel around your neck and sunblock on your nose, and go as a lifeguard.
Wear your regular clothes, cover your face in grey makeup and spray your hair so it's all messed up, and go as a zombie version of yourself.
Make a toga out of a bed sheet and go as an ancient Roman.
If you've got a friend with totally different style than you, swap clothes and go as each other.
Wear all black, paint a black nose and whiskers on your face and go as a black cat. You can make a simple cat ear headband out of construction paper.
Wear your fanciest dress, make a sash out of a strip of white fabric, buy a cheap tiara and go as a beauty queen.
Wear torn jeans and a t-shirt, tie a bandana to the end of a stick and go as a hobo.
Wear a robe and fuzzy slippers, roll your hair in curlers and go as a housewife.

Got any other ideas, or just wanna share what you'll be going as? Leave a comment!

Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Sunday, October 25th, 2009 at 16:06:32.

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Would You Listen to Your Parents About Dating?

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:33:22 +0000

There's no doubt that teen dating violence affects every school in every town. A third of teens say they know someone who's been in an abusive relationship, and a quarter of teen girls say they've been pressured into sexual activity.

Verizon Wireless is trying to do something about it with a program called Letter to My Child. They're asking parents to "write letters to their teens encouraging them to seek healthy relationships and defining unhealthy behaviors."

Just curious: would you ever turn to your parents for advice about an abusive relationship? And if they wrote you a letter like that, do you think it would change anything?

(BTW, if you want to know more about dating abuse and how to avoid it, check out these safe dating tips).

Would You Listen to Your Parents About Dating? originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 at 15:33:22.

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No Teens Allowed

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:38:20 +0000

Do any businesses in your town (besides bars and nightclubs) have rules about letting in teens?

This week in Norfolk, Virginia, one of the area's biggest malls started banning teens after 5pm unless they're with an "escort."

What's the point of the ban? Some adults seem to like it because it makes the mall less scary (WTF?). But even if a couple of teens have caused trouble in the past, it's way more fair to deal with those problems individually than to assume that all teens are bad news.

When I was a teen, my friends and I made a local coffee shop our nightly hangout. The adult patrons complained, and the shop started banning teens after dark. After a lot of complaining, we figured, "well, it's their loss," and we took our money somewhere that wanted it.

But that was just a coffee shop. Norfolk teens can't exactly pick up and find a whole new mall. So instead, they've started a Facebook group to protest the policy. If you agree with them - or even if you disagree - why not join their group and send them a message?

No Teens Allowed originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 13:38:20.

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Read Something Shocking This Week

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:08:08 +0000

It's Teen Read Week! Why not celebrate in the most devious way possible - by reading something that'll make the adults around you worry about your mental health?

One of the Most Banned Books Ever
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. A classic because of its depiction of African American life in the 1940's; banned by libraries everywhere for its themes of incest and child molestation.

A Book So Freaky You'll Have Trouble Sleeping
The Road by Cormac McCarthy. A terrifyingly bleak story about trying to stay alive after the apocalypse. You're bound to get nightmares, but you won't want to put it down.

The Ultimate Serial Killer Thriller
The Alienist by Caleb Carr. Set in Victorian New York, this page turner will trick you into getting a history lesson between all the blood, gore and jars of eyeballs.

A Sci-Fi Classic That's All About Subversion and Sex
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein. This story of a man raised on Mars was so shocking in 1961 that whole scenes had to be pulled out of it. Be sure you pick up the uncut version that was released thirty years later.

The Original Teen Angst Novel
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. It's filled with swear words and debauchery, and it's also one of the best novels ever written. You'll probably love this book forever so you'd might as well read it now.

Read Something Shocking This Week originally appeared on About.com Teen Advice on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 18:08:08.

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