- About 34.4 million (46.1%) of the children under 18 usually live with a risky substance abuser. After friends, the family or the home is one of the most common sources of substances which are addictive.
- Exposure to 77% of popular TV shows and movies for teens and adults are usually linked to teen drinking due to it’s media influence which glamorizes substance abuse.
Sex- 34% had sexual intercourse during previous 3 months, and, of these 41% did not use a condom the last time they had sex.
- Only 22% of sexually experienced students have ever been tested for HIV.
- Nearly 10,000 young people (aged 13-24) were diagnosed with HIV infection in the U.S. in 2013.
- Nearly half of the 20 million new STDs each year were among young people, between the ages of 15 to 24.
Suicide- Suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 10-24.
- More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, combined.
- Each day in our nation there is an average of over 5,400 suicide attempts by young people grades 7-12.
- Four out of five teens who attempt suicide have given clear warning signs.
Homelessness- 57% of homeless kids spend at least one day every month without food.
- In the U.S. as many as 20,000 kids are forced into prostitution by human trafficking networks every year.
- More than 25% of former foster care and juvenile justice systems will be homeless within six months because they are unprepared to live independently and have limited education and no social support.
- Almost 40% of the homeless in the United States are under 18.
Sources: The National Center on Addiction at Columbia University (June 2011), CASA analysis of the National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) 2009, CDC Sexual Risk Behaviors: HIV, STD, & Teen Pregnancy Prevention Survey 2013, CDC WISQARS 2013, Covenant House Institute.