The Roundup contains information about all of the latest news, commentary, reports, surveys, issue briefs, charts, and fact sheets related to boys' issues collected by our staff during the preceding week.

News Clips

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  Sports concussions linked to substance abuse, suicidal thoughts: research
  Concussions are connected with substance abuse and suicidal thoughts in adolescents, new research presented at a St. Michael’s Hospital conference on sports-related brain injuries revealed Saturday.
  Globe and Mail
  September 15, 2013

• Majority Of Millennial Kids In U.S. Generous To Charities
  Nearly 9 in 10 millennial kids in the U.S. gave to a charity at least once during two years the researchers asked about, the United Nations Foundation said Thursday. More than half of the kids gave in both years.
  Health News Florida
  September 13, 2013

• How to Make School Better for Boys
  Start by acknowledging that boys are languishing while girls are succeeding.
  As the United States moves toward a knowledge-based economy, school achievement has become the cornerstone of lifelong success. Women are adapting; men are not. Yet the education establishment and federal government are, with some notable exceptions, looking the other way.
  The Atlantic, September 13, 2013

• 

  Teens' Antisocial Texts May Foretell Bad Behavior
  Teens who text about bad behaviors such as drug use or fighting are more likely to actually engage in those behaviors as well, a new study finds.
  US News
  September 13, 2013

• Strong Verbal Skills in Childhood May Raise Drinking Risk, Study Suggests
  These expressive kids scored higher in 'sensation-seeking,' researchers found
  Teens and young adults who had high levels of language development during childhood drink and get drunk more often than others their age, and the influence of friends may be a major factor, a new study suggests.
  Medline Plus
  September 12, 2013

• Adolescent Health Highlights: Use of illicit drugs
  One of the risky behaviors most common among adolescents is using illicit drugs. Child Trends' latest brief in its new Adolescent Health Highlights series is Use of Illicit Drugs. The brief summarizes the extent, types, and patterns of adolescent drug use; the effects of illicit drugs on adolescents' health and well-being; and strategies to combat their use. One bit of good news: Half of adolescents report that they've used an illicit drug by 12th grade, but the proportion of 12th graders who report not having used cigarettes, alcohol, or illicit drugs in the past 30 days is up significantly.
  Child Trends
  September 12, 2013

• Young People May Respond Better to Upbeat Health Messages
  Health and safety campaigns with positive messages might better persuade young people to avoid risky behaviors such as smoking and unprotected sex than campaigns that highlight health dangers, a new study suggests.
  Medline Plus
  September 11, 2013

• Watch for signs of depression in teenage boys
  Thirty-eight thousand Americans take their own lives every year. Young men in their early 20s have the second-highest rate of suicide in the country, second only to men older than 65. Depression is the number one cause of all suicides. But it’s often overlooked and left untreated in young males. That’s because they tend to express their symptoms differently than other populations.
  The Tribune
  September 10, 2013

• Testicle size 'link to father role'
  A link between the size of a father's testicles and how active he is in bringing up his children has been suggested by scientists.
  BBC News
  September 9, 2013

• 5 percent of U.S. children, teens classified as ‘severely obese’
  American Heart Association Scientific Statement
  Statement Highlights:

  • About 5 percent of American children and teens are severely obese — putting them at high risk for premature heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
  • Severe obesity is a newly defined class of risk, and effective treatment options for these children are limited.

  American Heart Association
  September 9, 2013

• Five-Fold Increase in ADHD Medication Use in Children and Adolescents
  Use of stimulant medications to treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents has increased significantly over the past several years. This trend toward increased use of prescription stimulants extends beyond ADHD to other types of neuropsychiatric disorders in children and teens as well, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), according to a study published in Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.
  Science Daily
  September 10, 2013

• 

  'Boys Have Deep Emotional Lives'
  How parents, teachers, and schools can better understand young men: a conversation with Rosalind Wiseman about her new book, Masterminds and Wingmen.
  The Atlantic
  September 10, 2013

• Adopted Teens More Likely to Attempt Suicide, Study Finds
  Teenagers who were adopted may be at greater risk of a suicide attempt than kids raised by their biological parents, a new study suggests.
  Newsday
  September 9, 2013

• Obese Kids, Weight Loss, and Eating Disorders
  Problems like anorexia may go undiagnosed or be disregarded, case studies show
  "They lost way too much weight and became preoccupied with their eating," Sim said. "Every thought and behavior really surrounded eating."
  WebMD
  September 9, 2013

• Trail Life USA, The 'Other' Boy Scouts Of America
  A new faith-based group for boys is taking shape, just three months after the Boy Scouts of America decided to change its membership policy to allow gay youth to join.
  The group, dubbed Trail Life USA, calls itself a Christian alternative to the Boy Scouts. Its name was recently revealed at a hotel conference before a crowd of about 1,200 parents and scoutmasters, complete with a slick video with a dynamic score.
  NPR
  September 9, 2013

• 

  Basic biology may explain higher death rates for boys
  Researchers looking at U.S. national data on both boys and girls from infancy up to age 20 found boys more likely to experience a range of illnesses, and to die of them, than girls.
  Chicago Tribune
  September 4, 2013

• Young Americans' Prescription Med Abuse Still Down: Report
  The rate of illegal use of prescription drugs by young American adults is lower than it was a few years ago, as are drinking rates among kids, a new federal government report reveals.
  HealthFinder.gov
  September 4, 2013

• Psychotic Symptoms Found to Be Strong Suicide Risk Factor in Teens
  Researchers were surprised to find that the relationship between psychotic experiences—not just disorders—and suicidal behavior is very strong.
  Psychiatry Online
  September 4, 2013

• Harsh Verbal Discipline for Teens can Lead to Depression
  Using data from nearly 1,002 parent families, researchers found that the kids subjected to harsh verbal discipline at age 13 were more prone to depression, more likely to act out at school, lie, steal and fight.
  Medline Plus
  September 4, 2013

• American Schools Are Failing Nonconformist Kids. Here’s How
  In defense of the wild child
  New Republic
  September 2012

• E-cigarette use more than doubles among U.S. middle and high school students from 2011-2012
  More than 75 percent of youth users smoke conventional cigarettes too
  Centers for Disease Control
  September 5, 2013

International News

AUSTRALIA

• Raiders talk the talk with teen boys
  We need to talk. Are you Ok? Let's have a chat. For some reason those three simple sentences are among the hardest for men to say to one another, but Menslink and the Canberra Raiders are determined to change that.
  ABC Canberra
  September 6, 2013

CANADA

• Boys forgotten victims in human trafficking, says MP
  Female victims of sex trafficking get most of the headlines, but boys are victims too, says anti-human trafficking crusader and Conservative MP Joy Smith.
  Sun News
  September 13, 2013

CHINA

• Insight: Boys losing the language game
  It is tough being a boy in Hong Kong's education system. Exam results indicate that they are faring much worse than girls in meeting the minimum requirements for university.
  South China Morning Post
  September 9, 2013

INDIA

• Teaching boys to think beyond stereotypes
  Some NGOs working with the youth in Mumbai slums are now paying attention to adolescent boys, a demographic in the news for the wrong reasons
  Wall Street Journal
  September 9, 2013

IRELAND

• Girls continue to outperform boys in Junior Cert
  In post-primary education, girls are more inclined to study at higher level in key subjects and are also more likely to get top grades.
  Independent
  September 13, 2013

UK

• Graphic images 'don't deter young smokers'
  Picture warnings on cigarette packets depicting the dangers of smoking make little impact on teenage smokers, a study suggests.
  The UK introduced the images, which depict things such as diseased lungs and heart surgery, in 2008.
  BBC
  September 5, 2013

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The Boys Initiative is a groundbreaking national nonprofit campaign to shed light on documented trends in recent years pertaining to boys' underachievement and young men's failure to launch. For more information about The Boys Initiative, visit www.theboysinitiative.org.