Article: Social Media and Cell Phones

The use of social media and cell phones can have a profound impact on our teens’ social lives and mental health. Parents often aren’t privy to the depths of their teens’ social media and texting activity, and teens often aren’t aware that their digital actions can affect them offline as well. This is a comparatively […]

Article: Academic Plagiarism 101

Plagiarism in academic institutions is surprisingly common. How common? The International Center for Academic Integrity reports that a whopping 60 percent of undergraduates admit to cheating in some form. What Is Plagiarism? According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “plagiarize” has two definitions: to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own: use […]

Article: Student Rights in School

Student Rights in School Imagine this scenario: The high school principal calls a junior into her office and accuses him of vaping weed in the school parking lot and sharing it with his classmates. She rifles through his backpack on the spot and, sure enough, she finds a vape pen. The principal asks the student […]

Article: Title IX and Sex Offenses

Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 is the law that prevents sex-based discrimination directed at students or faculty in any colleges or universities that accept federal funding. Acts of discrimination include exclusion based on gender, sexual harassment, sexual assault, rape, sexual battery, and sexual coercion. In this chapter, I’ll talk about Title […]

Article: Fake IDs

Sometimes teens consider getting a fake ID if they want to buy alcohol or go to a bar. About 12.5 percent of pre-college students and 32.2 percent of college students have admitted to possessing a fake ID; in 2020, there were 14,000 fake IDs seized in the city of Cincinnati alone. Today, fake IDs are […]

Article: Talking to the Police

Talking to the Police What should a teen say if the police catch them at the scene of a crime and they are a suspect? What should they expect if they are brought to a police precinct? What should you do if the police show up at your door and you have no clue why […]

Article: Drinking at Home

Teens drink. A lot. According to a 2017 survey, 7.4 million minors in the U.S. had consumed alcohol in the previous 30 days and 4.5 million of those were binge drinkers (defined as consuming five or more drinks within a couple of hours). Based on these statistics, many parents want to educate their children by […]