Survey Finds Unsupervised Teens Get Into More Trouble

A new survey finds that unsupervised teens are four times more likely to be D students than teens supervised every day. The survey, After School for America's Teens, released by the YMCA of the USA, finds that 59 percent of teens are left unsupervised after school at least one day in a typical week. And those teens are more likely to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes and engage in sexual activity. In addition, they are nearly three times as likely to skip classes at school. In fact, compared to teens who are supervised, they are also three times more likely to use marijuana or other drugs.

More than 50% teens are looking for more structured activities.

The survey of 500 teens 14-17 years of age reveals a strong interest in after school programs. Even though many teenagers participate in after school programs through their school, over half of all teens (52%) wish there were more activities available. And, while more than 62 percent of teens left alone during the week say they would likely participate in after school programs, the survey also found that two in three teens (67%) would be interested in programs after school that would help them get better grades, develop leadership skills and be more involved in the community.

Unsupervised teens lead to more trouble.

Unsupervised teens are in the Danger Zone - the hours of 3 to 6 p.m. after school - when being unsupervised can lead to problems with alcohol, drugs, sexual activity and even crime. This danger cuts across race, income and family structure, as was found in the University of Minnesota's National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, the largest-ever survey conducted with adolescents in the U.S. Teens who are failing school and "hanging out" with friends are more likely than other teens to engage in at-risk behaviors. "If we choose not to invest in addressing the unstructured, unsupervised time of teens, it does not mean that we are saving money. We can pay at the front end or we can pay at the back... but we will pay," said Dr. Robert Blum, co-principal investigator of the University of Minnesota study.

The After School survey also revealed that teens who participate in after school activities do better in school and are less likely to engage in activities that place them at risk. Teens who do not engage in activities after school are five times more likely to be D students than those who do. Furthermore, nearly eight in 10 teens (79%) who participate in after school programs are A or B students, but only half (52%) of teens that do not participate earn such high marks.

The message for schools?

Encourage all students to participate in after school activities. This participation can be especially important for those "borderline" students who may not be on the honor roll and who may find themselves in the principalÕs office too often for the wrong reasons.

Busy students tend to stay out of trouble.

This could result in a "Catch-22" with suspended students. When a student does get into trouble at school and the school is forced to send that student home - often, that student is unsupervised for the duration of the suspension. Thus, the student who is being punished for the trouble he caused at school is placed into a situation where heÕs got two strikes against him.

The solution: keep the suspended student busy.

Suspension Learning Packets will help. The Advantage Press has developed Learning Packets to help students learn from their mistakes and prevent future behavior problems. Suspension Packet topics include the most common reasons for school suspensions (Fighting, Smoking, Truancy, Threatening Others, etc.). The school can assign a Learning Packet to the suspended student and tell him or her that the packet must be completed (perhaps with a parent signature) by the end of the suspension. Not only are you providing that student with a meaningful activity while on suspension, but you are also providing school staff with insightful information about that student.

Prevent more serious problems

Students read about the rule they broke, they learn why schools need these rules, and they read stories about other (fictitious) students who broke the rule. They are then given some reasons why they should work to obey those rules. The Student Response Form directs students to answer a variety of questions about what they did, why they did it, and what they will do in the future to prevent more problems. Their answers can provide your school psychologist and/or social worker with insight about the student. They may want to follow-up with a discussion involving the student and his parents. These are the type of activities that can act to prevent more serious problems.

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