A feel good piece from CNN:
Stop anyone on the street who looks, say, older than 40, and ask whether teenagers are doing better or worse than a decade or two ago. Odds are she or he will say worse -- and be wrong.
…
• The proportion of high school students who smoke has declined, and so has the proportion of those who drink.
• Fewer underage teenagers are driving. Fewer teenagers drive while drinking or ride with drivers who are drinking. More students report wearing seatbelts and significantly fewer are involved in fatal car crashes.
• Firearm-related deaths have declined. So has the percentage of high school students who fight or carry a weapon.
• The percent of high school students who have seriously considered suicide has declined. So has the proportion of suicides.
One serious problem, according to the CDC, is that more teens are getting fatter. A lot fatter. But aside from that, they appear to be taking better care of themselves than the generation that preceded them.
“Declined” should not, however, be mistaken with “alright.”