NCJ Number
186767
Journal
Campus Safety Journal Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2001 Pages: 12-13
Editor(s)
Bill Hurter
Date Published
February 2001
Length
2 pages
Annotation
Statistics show that 1 in every 8 murder victims in the United States is younger than 18 years of age, nearly 40 children and adolescents are killed by violence each week. Murder and suicide are the second and third leading causes of death among teenagers between 15 and 19 years of age, more than 525,000 violent attacks occur in public schools during an an average month, and nearly 8 percent of urban junior and senior high school students are too afraid to go to school at least once a month.
Abstract
Some professionals believe "teen rage" should not be classified as a mental illness but rather as a symptom of a larger, more complex problem. Teenagers are influenced by what they watch on television, the video games they play, and their upbringing. In particular, the American Psychological Association indicates violent video games can increase aggression among juveniles. Keeping these young people from being exposed to such risk factors as alcohol and drug use, child abuse, gangs, media violence, and parental violence is critical. The Commission on the Prevention of Violence offers the following recommendations to prevent violence among teenagers: (1) support and promote the development of healthy families and communities; (2) enhance services for early identification and intervention for at risk youth; (3) increase access to health and mental health care services; (4) reduce access to firearms; (5) reduce exposure to media violence; and (6) ensure national support of and advocacy for solutions to violence.