Only a third of parents say time with their kids is rushed. They're doing fewer drugs and having fewer babies. They spend more hours on the Internet and more dollars at the mall. In the 1980s, the number of serious violent crimes committed by youths aged 12 to 17 fluctuated between 29 and 40 per 1,000. It peaked in 1993 at 52 crimes per 1,000 youths, but dropped steadily to 31 per 1,000 in 1997, says the U.S. Justice Department.
Youths are still nearly three times more likely than adults to be violent crime victims.
What They Say. The survey also found fewer teens trying marijuana for the first time and fewer teens abusing inhalers. But we're not trying to convert other people. I think people figured that out. Now we get letters asking us to give ourselves to Jesus.