Prime Minister John Key has commissioned urgent research to better understand the issues which can make adolescence a “powder keg” of bad decisions and risky behaviour, says his chief science advisor.
Sir Peter Gluckman said “a major project” was under way at Mr Key’s request to look at the issues and what action could be taken to improve the lot of teenagers.
Preliminary findings indicate that the number of teens wishing they’d never been born per capita is at historic highs and life in New Zealand totally sucks at five times the OECD average.
Update:
Gluckman’s announcement is actually pretty interesting (this touches on his area of expertise). I look forward to seeing the PM ignore all of his recommendations.
Wow – there’s a couple of endorsements for the mysticism of ‘Social Science’ that I never expected to see…
Comment by Sam — May 18, 2010 @ 1:38 pm
The sweet, sweet, smell of Moral panic is brewing again. Boy racers are soooooo 2009!
Comment by andy (the other one) — May 18, 2010 @ 1:49 pm
I blame absentee fathers who spend most of their time away from the family home, in another town or off overseas, “working”.
Comment by sammy — May 18, 2010 @ 1:49 pm
Berend blames the nanny state which robs youth of their natural drive and self-determination in 5 … 4 … 3 …
L
Comment by Lew — May 18, 2010 @ 1:57 pm
I would be very interested to know the results of this study, particularly when broken down into Urban Vs Rural.
My wild, half-pai theory there is that urban kids are bored; they’ve got nothing to do that makes them feel worthwhile (eg. chores, looking after the household, chipping in)
I would also like to see the results among those that do things like scouts or other non-sports clubs.
Comment by Steveo — May 18, 2010 @ 1:58 pm
Don’t we already know this one? I’m sure I skimmed something on this recently, on some science RSS feed I subscribe to. The gist was: “People’s brains don’t finish developing until their early 20s. In particular, in teenagers, the ‘risk evaluation’ bit is heavily biased towards ‘no worries, mate’”
Maybe I should send Peter Gluckman a link to Scientific American.
Comment by Repton — May 18, 2010 @ 2:00 pm
Teenagers = bad decisions and risky behaviour. And this is something new?
FFS this is my pet hate. On balance, modern kids are MUCH better than we were. Better educated, more tolerant, more socially rounded.
People look upon their own adolescence through rose-tinted glass-houses, and conveniently forget the drinking, unprotected sex, cannibis, drink-driving, racial division, fighting, and general peace-disturbance they enjoyed as a teenager.
Comment by Pat — May 18, 2010 @ 2:10 pm
It’s straightforward enough – in earlier times we’d have begun working these yoofs into an early grave by the time they were 14, or we’d be sending the male ones to work off their frustrations shooting each other and raping women in (hopefully) foreign countries. These days we just leave them to indulge their narcissism. But I’m picking Gluckman won’t recommend a return to child labour or warfare as a means of dealing with the problem.
Comment by Psycho Milt — May 18, 2010 @ 2:13 pm
My first impulse was a rather sarcastic “sure, science will fix it.”
But if they’re really going to address it from a macro-scientific level like that described in Gluckman’s press release and drive it down to policy prescriptions then good on them. I have my doubts however…
Comment by garethw — May 18, 2010 @ 2:44 pm
Nine years of socialist rule, where teenagers have been taught their ‘rights’ from birth, have been given little boundaries and have been made to think that it’s all about them. Rich in materialism, poor where it counts.
Comment by Rossette — May 18, 2010 @ 7:36 pm
“Nine years of socialist rule, where teenagers have been taught their ‘rights’ from birth, have been given little boundaries and have been made to think that it’s all about them. Rich in materialism, poor where it counts.”
interesting. Do you think a National-led government would have made them less materialistic?
Comment by kahikatea — May 18, 2010 @ 7:45 pm
At least National are less Nanny state, less against parents and more sensible and fair on crime. Labour taught our teenagers to be lawless, have you not seen the latest Investigate magazine cover article?
Comment by Rossette — May 18, 2010 @ 7:49 pm
Yep Rosette. coz if there’s one thing common to socialist states, it’s the rampant and socially destructive focus on individual rights.
Comment by Pascal's bookie — May 18, 2010 @ 7:52 pm
Cross posted and I now see I’ve been trolled. Well played.
Comment by Pascal's bookie — May 18, 2010 @ 7:54 pm
Rossette: “Nine years of socialist rule, where teenagers have been taught their ‘rights’ from birth …”
Ah – if only more attention were paid to good old fashioned arithmetic, we wouldn’t have 13+ year olds who were born 9 years ago. I blame maths.
Comment by Andrew Geddis — May 18, 2010 @ 8:27 pm
“have you not seen the latest Investigate magazine cover article?”
godwin.
Comment by Che Tibby — May 18, 2010 @ 8:50 pm
I am surprised to see Milt advocating a return to National Service. But I agree completely. Now that I am too old/fat/weaksighted to be in danger of conscription.
Would certainly reduce the worry that my 19 year old binge drinking chip off the old block puts me and his mum through though.
Comment by Barnsley Bill — May 18, 2010 @ 10:34 pm
Fish in a barrel
Comment by patx — May 19, 2010 @ 8:10 am
I am rather disappointed you deleted that abuse Danyl. I am sure your regulars would have hours of fun figuring out why the hero called millsy has a hard on for me!
Comment by Barnsley Bill — May 19, 2010 @ 8:52 am
I dare point BB out to be a hatemonger, and I get deleted for me. He is not the wonderful person you think he is.
Comment by millsy — May 19, 2010 @ 9:01 am
Parents these days treat their late born single child like Gollum and his “Precioussss”; but the kid will sooner or later indulge in his natural bent for risk taking. The term “Helicopter Mum” is a recent description of the process of trying to reduce the risk to their Precious through those early years.. but I think the kid doesn’t develop a sense of risk under that regime.
JC
Comment by JC — May 19, 2010 @ 11:25 am
Danyl, I think you have a cast iron open, shut case of slander to take on there. Your reputation and integrity has been greviously impugned.
Comment by Barnsley Bill — May 19, 2010 @ 5:18 pm