1.

Computer and video games have become more popular than ever. A 2005 study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that more than 80 percent of teenagers had a video game player in their home. The widespread use of video games has led to a series of questions. The most common questions surround the effects video and computer games have on the growth and development of a child. Researchers have found that each situation should be handled independently because the effects vary from individual to individual.

Positive Effects
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Many people focus on the negative effects of these games and fail to see the opportunity for learning and growth. According to RaiseSmartKid.com's "The Good and Bad Effects of Video Games," there are several positive effects that come from spending time playing video games. Most games do not teach kids math, history and other subjects. But they do provide students indirect opportunities to learn principles that can help them in their academic pursuits. Certain types of video games can help train kids to follow instructions as well as helping them develop their problem solving and logical thought processes. These skills translate directly to the classroom as students are asked to complete tasks and are presented problems that require them to use logical problem-solving skills. Children can also learn inductive reasoning and hypothesis testing. Games will often present them with situations that need to be solved, necessitating the development of problem-solving techniques. Another benefit of playing video games is that it begins to help the child become familiar with technology. Schools and businesses are beginning to require that students feel comfortable working with technology. Playing video and computer games helps children develop a better understanding of the technology available and helps them to adjust to other pieces of technology at a faster rate.

Negative Effects
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Several professors conducted a research project to determine the effect of gaming on academic performance. According to the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology: "Gaming Frequency and Academic Performance," individuals who spend two or more hours playing games on a daily basis score lower in every subject than their non-gaming counterparts. By spending a high percentage of time on video games there is not enough time left to spend in studying for classes. The study found that there was "not a single significant positive correlation between gaming and academic performance." Aside from poor academic performance there are also several negative social problems that result from playing computer and video games. An article in Psychological Science:

"Pathological Video Game Use Among Youth 8-18" found that these games can be addictive and can cause children to want to spend more time involved in this pretend world than in reality. This can cause children to not spend as much time as they should preparing for the real challenges of life.

Statistics
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According to a list of statistics produced by Media Family: "Effects of Video Game Playing on Children" roughly 97 percent of children played video games in 2008. In 2006, 45 percent of children were regular gamers, which means that they played for two or more hours on a daily basis. These statistics show the importance of learning to choose games that will help strengthen and push the intellect of the child.

Read more: The Effects of Computer Gaming | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_5910511_effects-computer-gaming.html#ixzz1XcMv2p6l

--Kyle Aldous

Technology addiction takes toll in Asia By Philip Lim Agence France-Presse First Posted 14:22:00 04/19/2011 Filed Under: Asia Australia - East Asia, Health, Internet, Infotech SINGAPORE?A baby girl starves to death as her parents raise a virtual child online; a boy scolded for excessive gaming kills his mother then commits suicide -- technology addiction is taking a toll in Asia. With more 100 million "smartphones" now sold annually in the Asia-Pacific region -- expected to double in five years' time -- it is the world's largest market for advanced mobile devices. And as social networking sites and mobile games explode in tandem with the telecom industry, many young Asians are finding it tough to cope without a gadget in hand or a computer within reach. "I guess you can call me addicted, fine," admitted 22-year-old Singaporean university student Hanna Ruslana, who has befriended more schoolmates on Twitter than on campus. She checks her iPhone at least every 15 minutes and maintains accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and LinkedIn. When Twitter freezes, she and her friends plunge into an anxious wait.

But hers is a mild case compared to tragic examples in South Korea, one of the world's most electronically-connected societies. Last December, a mother was arrested for allegedly killing her three-year-old son while she was tired from Internet game-playing. A month earlier, a 15-year-old boy committed suicide after killing his mother for scolding him over his gaming habits. In May 2010, a 41-year-old South Korean man was sentenced to two years in jail after he and his wife left their baby daughter to die of malnutrition while raising a virtual child on the Internet. The Seoul government estimates the number of web addicts at about two million in a nation of almost 50 million. From this year, it will offer free software to people at risk to limit the time they spend on the web. Parliament is also about to consider a "Cinderella" law which would ban those aged under 15 from playing online games between midnight and 6.00 am. In Singapore, a survey conducted on 600 university and polytechnic students earlier this year showed 88 percent of them preferred communicating through technology over face-to-face chats. More than 40 percent of respondents spent more than four hours a day glued to their mobile phones in a country where there are now 1.4 mobile phones per person, most of them webenabled. Clinical director of privately-owned Raffles Hospital's pain management service Ho Kok Yuen likened the craving felt by tech addicts for their hit to drug addicts' "compulsive need to obtain certain medication". "So it becomes abnormal behavior, where the compulsive behavior will lead to harm to a person or to people around him or her," he told AFP. In Japan, the internal affairs ministry has warned that young people's addiction to gaming and mobile phones can make them apathetic and harm their social relations and health. The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan said cases brought to it for consultation on online games-related concerns rose to 1,692 in 2010, up from 1,437 in 2009, many of them involving youths. In Malaysia, the population has embraced social networking sites enthusiastically.

According to a study released by global research firm TNS in November 2010, Malaysians are the most sociable people on the Internet with an average of 233 friends in their network, compared to 68 in China and just 29 in Japan. The University Malaya Center of Addiction Sciences said it received about 50 cases when it began a study on addiction to social networking giant Facebook in 2009, and the cases increased to about 70 last year, most involving young people. "It is more common among youth because they have more exposure to the Internet and social networking sites," said Muhammad Muhsin Ahmad Zahari, deputy chief coordinator of the center. "They are more inclined to attach themselves to the computer and ignore other modes of socializing." Parents lose ground as technology use among kids rises Facebook 'pushing Filipino rebels into oblivion' Agence France-Presse First Posted 18:19:00 04/07/2011 Filed Under: Internet, Guerrilla activities, Youth, Armed conflict, International peace processes MANILA, Philippines?Filipino leftist rebels are being pushed into oblivion by Facebook and the Internet as rebellious youths now vent online instead of taking up arms against the state, a peace negotiator said Thursday. Chief negotiator Alex Padilla said the Internet had helped steer university students away from the rebels, whom he said had been reduced to recruiting school dropouts and the unschooled. President Benigno Aquino III resumed peace talks with the Maoist rebels this year with Norway playing host after a seven-year lull, convinced the insurgents were going nowhere and would sign a peace settlement in 18 months. "There has been a lack of, or dearth of youthful ideologues actually being brought up. They have been unable to harness their protgs among the younger groups," Padilla said, noting that most rebels leaders are over 70. "They are now recruiting not students from the university as before but out-of-school youth," said Padilla, who put the rebels' popular support at no more than three million out of the national population of about 94 million.

Padilla said rising use of the Internet and social networking sites had curtailed the pool of new recruits into the Communist Party of the Philippines and its 5,000-member armed wing, the New People's Army. "I think Facebook has played a role because I think the interests of the youth now are far different from 30 years ago, when there were less avenues for engaging other people." Left on its own and with continued economic growth, the government believes the 42-year rebellion would eventually die a natural death, Padilla said. However, the government believes it is best to speed up the process through talks and thus prevent further bloodletting, he said. Military statistics show the insurgency, which has largely relied on extortion to sustain itself after the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989, still claims hundreds of lives every year. "There is reason to hope for a possible end, but at the same time we are realistic," Padilla said. He said he was giving himself no more than three years to get the rebels to sign a peace deal, and if they did not it would only mean they were not interested in a settlement after 24 years of onand-off talks. "If we are unable to meet this time frame we don't want to negotiate for another 24 years," he said. Gadgets ruining people's sleep study Agence France-Presse First Posted 12:20:00 03/08/2011 Filed Under: Lifestyle & Leisure, Internet, Health, Americas - United States SAN FRANCISCO?A study released on Monday indicated that people in the United States are losing sleep over their gadgets. All but five percent of people surveyed as part of a National Sleep Foundation poll said they played videogames, watched television, or used smartphones or laptop computers in the hour before going to bed. "This study reveals that light-emitting screens are in heavy use within the pivotal hour before sleep," said doctor Charles Czeisler of Harvard Medical School. "Invasion of such alerting technologies into the bedroom may contribute to the high proportion of respondents who reported that they routinely get less sleep than they need."

Being bathed in the glow of monitors or handset screens suppresses the release of sleeppromoting hormone melatonin and enhances alertness, making it more difficult to sleep, according to Czeisler. The poll showed that 43 percent of people ages 13 to 64 felt they rarely or never got a decent night's sleep during the work week. Older people were more inclined to watch television while younger people were more likely to opt for computers, smartphones or videogames, according to the survey. "Over the last 50 years, we've seen how television viewing has grown to be a near constant before bed, and now we are seeing new information technologies such as laptops, cell phones, videogames and music devices rapidly gaining the same status," said Lauren Hale of Stony Brook University Medical Center. "The higher use of these potentially more sleep-disruptive technologies among younger generations may have serious consequences for physical health, cognitive development and other measures of wellbeing." Researchers suspected that using smartphones, computers and video game consoles was more stimulating than passively watching television and would make it even harder for people to fall asleep. Sleep-deprived gadget users were using caffeine and naps to cope with fatigue, according to the poll.

As you see it, how are the values of today's youth different from those of the older generation?
(philstar.com) Updated October 12, 2008 12:00 AM Comments (0)

Gigi Zulita, Zamboanga City: The youth before were conservative and reserved. Todays youth is strongly influenced by new technology, becoming wild and having low morals. C. Gaspar, Laoag City: The values that our grandparents held so much in their time are now taken for granted by the present generation. Moral values have gone haywire. Poles apart Nestor Buag, Mandaluyong City: Todays and yesterdays values are far and wide. C.B. Manalastas, Manila: Ang layo. The youth of yesteryears were more respectful of their elders. Kulang o wala nang paggalang ang maraming kabataan ngayon.

L.C. Fiel, Quezon City: Its not just a gap, its a divide, abetted by, to name a few: permissiveness, advancement in technology and openly immoral celebrities that the youth simply idolize. June Cajucom, Tacloban City: Try talking to them about this yourself, then take note of their reactions. Youll see how sharp the contrast has become. K.C. Ibaez, Ilocos Norte: We differ a lot from our views to our behavior. Its just too bad that the older generation sees this difference in a bad way. Have they forgotten that the youth now is the product of what they themselves reared? Ruel Bautista, Laguna:The values of todays youth have taken a steep dive, especially in the moral aspect. Pedro Alagano Sr., Vigan City: The youth of yesteryears was mostly pure, genuine and original, while todays youth is mostly adulterated, plastic and counterfeit Rodolfo Talledo, Angeles City: While the youth of yesterday were generally timid, respectful and submissive, todays young are daring, impatient and adventurous. Theres a whale of a difference. The older generation was respectful, humble, helpful, etc. Col. Ben Paguirigan Jr., Ret., Zamboanga City: Today, save for some, wala silang paki sa kanilang kapwa, walang galang sa matatanda. We have to be more aware of society Angela Santos, Metro Manila: The values of todays youth differ very much from those of the older generation. Nowadays, a lot of youngsters are affected by peer pressure, the misguidance of parents, and family crises, leading to their inappropriate behavior. The youth of older generations were diligent and family-oriented; now, a lot of the old values have been destroyed. Many of todays problematic youths point to family problems, like families broken due to early marriage, teenage pregnancies, and, sometimes, home wreckers. However a lot of these can be prevented if, and only if, we are aware of whats happening in our society. Not much difference Jose Pacatang, Dipolog City: My youngest child and daughter Diza, who is 30 and getting married to Ray, 32, on November 8 is actually a generation removed from mine. I finished my course at Silliman University in Dumaguete; she finished her course at St. Paul Manila. Im in law and political science, she is in business management and accountancy. But when it comes to values, theres not much difference, except that this time, public morality is a thing of the past. Parents have to be stricter these days

Ube Wenceslao, Imus, Cavite: Their values are slowly sinking in the mud. Information in their generation is rapidly transmitted, unlike during our time. Nowadays, you have to be stricter in everything. Digoy Coro, Batangas City: The youth of today are more aggressive and their morals are much lower because most parents find it easier to submit to their whims than to stand firm and teach values. Nap Cinco, Rizal: Youths today enjoy far more freedom than those of the older generation and that, quite surprisingly, is tolerated by some parents and elders. They enjoy more freedom Joel Caluag, Bulacan: I guess the youth of today think and reason out more compared to the older generation. Fifty years ago, the youth didnt have a choice; they just obeyed. Germi Sison, Cabanatuan City: In the early 60s, when we teenagers were wearing cowboy jeans, dancing rock-and-roll and sporting long hair and sideburns, the elders would quip, Iba na ang singaw ng mga kabataan ngayon. But I can say we were milder and more responsible than the youth today, who hardly appreciate Filipino values and culture and dont have good morals, idealism, patriotism and the bayanihan spirit. They are sexually liberated and live-in relationships are quite common. I am often confused when they talk either in Filipino or English, because they chew their words and use unnecessary words like bale. They participate in events like walking long distance for a cause, but will take the tricycle for an errand that will take them a short distance. They are too dependent on push-button technology. Their aspiration is to migrate abroad as they see no future here. The most unfortunate is their attitude of to each his own. Well, every generation has its own identity. Nick Ocampo, Angeles City: The youth of the older generation always listened to their parents. Todays youths do what they want. They are more materialistic Edgar Artates, Paraaque City:Todays youth tend to value material things more. They are quick to demand freedom and their human rights, while the older generation centered more on moral values, good manners and respect for others. Cris Rivera, Rizal: Yesterday, a mans dignity was worth more than wealth in his life. Todays young generation is living in a vicious cycle of pleasure, living life at the expense of dignity. Renato Taylan, Ilocos Norte: The values of todays youth are distorted, focusing only on the satisfaction of worldly desires. Those of the older generation were more righteous. Generation gap lang yan

Robert Young Jr., San Juan: Our parents complained about how different we were, as their parents also complained about their generation. Now, were complaining about our kids. Nothing really changed; its the generation gap. Gone with the wind Rey Onate, Palayan City: After completing more than 30 years of military service, I now work as a part-time teacher. In this stint, I have the opportunity of working with young people and Ive observed many similar behaviors in seven out of 10 students. One, theyre very shy about singing the national anthem. Two, they have poor hearing, for they talk loudly even if they are just a nose away. Three, holding hands in public is natural dahil magnobyo. Fourth, they talk back, question or address old people like an equal. Wala nang po at opo, at kung meron man it is used sarcastically. Siguro epekto ito ng mga magulang na iresponsable, ng mga guro na di nagtuturo ng tumpak na asal, ng aktibismo na puro hinaing, intriga at paghahanap ng mali at ng isang lipunan na tuwang-tuwa sa mga TV shows na may halos nakahubad na mga sumasayaw at telenovelas na puro sigawan at angilan ang script. Dino Monzon, Caloocan City: Todays youth rarely holds values as character education, GMRC and Civics are no longer taught. Inane TV shows, vapid celebrities and peers dictate values. Elpidio Que, Vigan: By and large, todays youth seems to take for granted Yahwehs 10 Commandments. They are face to face with the cheating, lying, stealing and decadent living of the high and mighty in politics, religion and business, influencing them to follow suit. The values of the older generation have almost gone with the wind. When they get old, these youths will have nowhere to go, but into the boulevard of broken dreams. I am lucky because, despite my being unable to follow in toto the values that my father and mother taught me in my youth, I am blessed with children who are upright. Mannanga-asi ni Apo Dios. Ric Vergara, Calamba: Respect for elders is gone. Jim Veneracion, Naga City: The morals of todays youth are heavily influenced by Western culture and media. An example is respect for parental authority which has waned considerably. Rose Leobrera, Manila: The values of our youth have declined. Before, we were afraid of and very respectful towards our parents and elders. Now, palaban na sila and when they are scolded they answer right back. I myself suffer at present. I gave my only girl the best of everything, supported her in whatever she wished to acquire and/or achieve. But when she had her own job, her company or circle of friends have changed her. Mas may pagpapahalaga sa kaibigan kaysa pamilya. My only wish is for her to have a good and peaceful life with somebody who will give her happiness and contentment. Todays youth is more liberated June Deoferio, Cavite: The youth today is more liberated. They practice premarital sex at younger ages and they are more aggressive. No more Mano po.

Rudy Tagimacruz, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon: The Maria Clara inhibition of yesteryears is fading. Today, some girls even visit their boyfriends at home. The Mano po is gone. Lydia Reyes, Bataan: The youth today is so Westernized. Many of them have forgotten Filipino values. They dont respect their elders and they indulge in premarital sex. The legacy of the older generation Joe Nacilla, Las Pias City: That question reminds me of the story of a very self-important university freshman who took it upon himself to explain to a senior citizen standing next to him at the bus stop that it was impossible for the older generation to understand his generation. You grew up in a different world, actually an almost primitive one, the student said, loud enough for the other passengers nearby to hear. The young people of today grew up with television, jet planes, space travel, man walking on the moon, our spaceships have visited Mars. We have nuclear energy, electric and hydrogen cars, computers with light-speed processing and When he paused for breath, the senior took advantage of the break in the students litany and said, Youre right, son. We didnt have those things when we were young, so we invented them. Now, you arrogant little prick, what are you doing for the next generation? Dont you just love senior citizens? Imee Aglibot, Rizal: Truly, its a glaring fact that todays youth is a far-cry from the youth of yesteryears. But how will they survive in this sophisticated, modern world without leaving behind some traditional values? Yes, they may have lost some, but they also gained many, which help them cope with the present lifestyle. I must admit, I also belong to the newer generation, but its no reason for me to be remiss as ilaw ng tahanan. It is even a welcome challenge. Seeing my kids to be the way Id wanted them molded is a triumph. Well, not even once would I say something that would boomerang on me. Some values go with the times Rodolfo Capili, Caloocan City: The values of the older generation are still in most of todays youth. However, there are values that go with the times and this is often misunderstood by the older generation. Technology has changed people Rico Fabello, Paraaque City: Values never change. Its how people see things thats changing. Ultimately, technology brings out the good and bad in everything. People nowadays have more access to basic information. What was once taboo may not be taboo now. At any rate, values never change but people do. Pedro Alagano Sr., Vigan City: Todays youth is hi-tech while the older generation is antiquated. However, the latter is a rarity, unlike the former, which abound like pirated DVDs on sale.

I.Q. Calata, Paraaque City: If youre referring to the Filipino youth, I say that their values now are much different from those of the older generation. Our youth have now been influenced badly by modern lifestyles, brought about by what they see and learn from movies, cable TV and the Internet. They are more carefree now and more prone to peer pressure. Because of access to gadgets like cellphones and CD/DVD players, they get to hear and see things that were unknown and never existed before. Ricardo Tolentino, Laoag City: They are poles apart, for the values of todays youth are now inflicted by a virus called modernization. The older generation acted more responsibly Rey Ibalan, Antipolo City: The older generation is passive and conservative while todays youth tend to be abrasive, thrill-seekers and adventurous. Johann Lucas, Quezon City: The older generation was more responsible with their actions, unlike now, when some youths are very reckless in their moves and actions. Ella Arenas, Pangasinan: The older generations values are much more intact, conservative and strong. They really serve their purpose of guiding wayward youth. The values of todays young generation are so loose you would even doubt if theres still any ounce of values left in them. Much of their rampant immorality can be attributed to their poor value system. They no longer know the value of hard work C.B. Fundales, Bulacan: The youth is technology-oriented, which creates the notion that everything can be had at the click of a mouse or the push of a button. Values developed by hard work have waned. Gerii Calupitan, Muntinlupa City: Todays youth have a different mindset compared to the old-school baby boomers of yore. For the sake of comparison, I still remember when we respected our elders: Teachers and grudges were squared-off at the nearby la gota de leche with fistfights. Now, most youths are disrespectful, they dont value hard work and they think the world owes them a living. As my professor said in 1972, El tempo, el mores! As The Who sang in 1969, talk about my generation. On religiosity Erwin Espinosa, Pangasinan: The younger generation now, and that includes my children Eugene, Euclid, Eunice and Mark, are less religious and pious. They seldom go to church. Delfin Todcor, Mt. Province: I believe that the values of todays youth who have a relationship with God is better than those of the older generation, who had no real fear of God. Everything evolves

Leonard Villa, Laoag City: Theres a big difference because culture is evolutionary. That is, as years go by, the more liberal the values of a nation become, and the more older generations seem ultra conservative. Gerry del Cano, Muntinlupa City: Times are now high-tech. Change is the only permanent thing in this world. Views expressed in this section do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The STAR. The STAR does not knowingly publish false information and may not be held liable for the views of readers exercising their right to free expression. The publication also reserves the right to edit contributions to this section as it sees fit. (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleid=406555) Alarming rise in teenage pregnancies noted By Marlon Ramos Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 09:07:00 02/27/2008 Filed Under: Youth, Health, Family planning, Statistics MANILA, Philippines -- While most girls their age are worrying about the gowns they will wear to their junior-senior prom, Marie and Leilanie, both 16, have more pressing things to take care of. Leilanie, not her real name, is eight months pregnant and is searching for a way to get her 19year-old live-in partner out of prison. He was arrested five months ago for stealing manhole cover in Caloocan City. ?Wala po kasi kaming pera pambili ng pagkain kaya napagtripan niya ibenta yun (We had no money to buy food so he thought of selling the cover),? the timid girl told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net. Leilanie said she wants to be with him when she gives birth to their first-born next month. ?I?m trying to be strong for our baby,? she said. Marie, on the other hand, complained of getting little sleep at night because she has to attend to her three-month-old son and her baby sister. Marie said she misses going to the mall with her friends and playing street games. ?But I have learned to accept the reality of where I am now,? she said in Filipino. ?Nakakapagod lang po talaga mag-alaga ng bata, maghugas ng pinggan at maglinis ng bahay (But it?s really tiring to take care of a baby, wash the dishes and clean the house),? she adds,

smiling. Teenage pregnancy According to the Forum for Family Planning and Development Inc. (FFPDI), Marie and Leilani are just two of millions of teenage mothers in the Philippines. The group said the steady increase in the incidence of teen pregnancies in the country in the past few years has reached an ?alarming stage.? ?The problem lies in the government?s sincerity in addressing issues about population growth and reproductive health,? Benjamin de Leon, FFPDI president, said in a news briefing in Quezon City on Tuesday. 1.7 million babies De Leon said the latest data from the National Statistics Office showed that of 1.7 million babies born in 2004, almost 8 percent were born to mothers aged 15-19. Almost 30 percent of Filipino women become mothers before reaching their 21st birthday, he said. In 2000 alone, young mothers gave birth to 818,000 babies, he said. ?This means that almost one of every 10 babies is born to a teenage mothers,? he said. He said this number could be bigger as births after March 5, 2005, were not recorded. ?We need to help these children for they are the next generation of parents, workers and leaders. In order for them to fulfill these roles? we must improve their access to education and information about sexuality and reproduction,? De Leon said in a separate statement. Kiko dela Tonga, of Likhaan Foundation, said a recent study done by the Population Institute of the University of the Philippines showed that more than four million Filipinos aged 15-19 had already had sexual intercourse. He said more than half of these are from poor families who do not have knowledge about contraceptives and reproductive health. He said two of every five teenage pregnancies are unwanted ones; more than 46 percent of young pregnant women resort to induced abortion. One of every four teenage mothers, Dela Tonga said, quit school to focus on child rearing or to find a job to help their families.

Risks Medical studies likewise showed that 10 percent of babies born to young mothers are malnourished. One of every five babies of teenage mothers dies of various causes, Dela Tonga said. ?These happen simply because young mothers are not ready emotionally, mentally and physically to rear a child of their own,? said Dr. Gloria Itchon of the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines. Dela Tonga said although premarital sex has become prevalent among the youth, Filipino families have maintained its conservative view about sexuality and do not discuss the topic with their teenage children. He said it?s very unlikely for typical parents to talk about issues regarding sex with their children. ?Although our society has become more liberated, it?s almost taboo for a family to talk openly about sex. But teenage pregnancy and premarital sex are the realities that the Filipino youth are facing,? he said. De Leon lamented that the leaders of the Catholic Church are still opposed to the use of condoms and other contraceptives in their programs for reproductive health. ?We tried to present them the cases of (Marie and Leilanie). But they are just close-minded about the issue of artificial birth control methods,? he said. ?We?re not telling the youth to engage in premarital sex. What we?re saying is that should they fail to control themselves, there are available ways to protect themselves.? Teen pregnancies in the Philippines By Rebecca B. Singson Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 00:55:00 06/14/2008 Filed Under: Health, Lifestyle & Leisure, Gender Issues (First in a series) MANILA, Philippines?The sexual revolution has ushered in a period in which the average adolescent experiences tremendous pressures to have sexual experiences of all kinds. Filipino teens get a higher exposure to sex from the Internet, magazines, TV shows, movies and other media than decades ago, yet without any corresponding increase in information on how to handle the input. So kids are pretty much left to other kids for opinions and value formation when it comes to sex.

Sexual misinformation is therefore equally shared in the group. Parents at home and teachers in school feel equally inadequate or uneasy to discuss the topic of sex with youngsters. The problem mounts because the barkada (gang) has a more profound influence than parents do and they exert pressure and expect the adolescent to conform to the rest of them. In fact, female adolescents whose friends engage in sexual behavior were found to be more likely to do the same compared to those who do not associate with such peers. If the teen perceives her peers to look negatively at premarital sex, she was more likely to start sex at a later age. Numbers Statistics in the United States show that each year, almost 1 million teenage women?10 percent of all women aged 15-19 and 19 percent of those who have had sexual intercourse?become pregnant and one-fourth of teenage mothers have a second child within two years of their first. In the Philippines, according to the 2002 Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study by the University of the Philippines Population Institute (Uppi) and the Demographic Research and Development Foundation, 26 percent of our Filipino youth nationwide from ages 15 to 25 admitted to having a premarital sex experience. What?s worse is that 38 percent of our youth are already in a live-in arrangement. The 1998 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) reveals that 3.6 million of our teenagers (that?s a whopping 5.2 percent of our population!) got pregnant. In 92 percent of these teens, the pregnancy was unplanned, and the majority, 78 percent, did not even use contraceptives the first time they had sex. Many of the youth are clueless that even on a single intercourse, they could wind up pregnant. Risks There are many reasons teen pregnancies should be avoided. Here?s a low down on the facts: ? Risk for malnutrition Teenage mothers tend to have poor eating habits and are less likely to take recommended daily multivitamins to maintain adequate nutrition during pregnancy. They are also more likely to smoke, drink or take drugs during pregnancy, which can cause health problems for the baby. ? Risk for inadequate prenatal care Teenage mothers are less likely to seek regular prenatal care which is essential for monitoring the growth of the fetus; keeping the mother?s weight in check; and advising the mother on nutrition and how she should take care of herself to ensure a healthy pregnancy. According to the American Medical Association, babies born to women who do not have regular prenatal care are 4 times more likely to die before the age of 1 year. ? Risk for abortion

Unplanned pregnancies lead to a higher rate of abortions. In the United States, nearly 4 in 10 teen pregnancies (excluding those ending in miscarriages) are terminated by abortion. There were about 274,000 abortions among teens in 1996. In the Philippines, although abortion is illegal, it would shock you to know that we even have a higher abortion rate (25/1,000 women) compared to the United States where abortion is legal (23/1,000 women). For sure, there are more abortions that happen in our country that are not even reported. Backdoor abortions are resorted to with untrained ?hilots? with questionable sterility procedures, increasing the possibility for tetanus poisoning and other complications. ? Risk for fetal deaths Statistics of the Department of Health show that fetal deaths are more likely to happen to young mothers, and that babies born by them are likely to have low birth weight. ? Risk for acquiring cervical cancer The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually-transmitted, wart-forming virus that has been implicated in causing cancer of the cervix. This is the most common cancer in women secondary to breast cancer. Women who are at increased risk for acquiring this are those who engage in sex before 18, have a pregnancy at or younger than 18, or have had at least 5 sexual partners, or have had a partner with at least 5 sexual partners. If you start sex at an early age, you have a higher likelihood of going through several sexual partners before you settle down, thus increasing your exposure to acquiring the virus and acquiring cervical cancer. The men can get genital warts from this virus and can certainly pass it on to their partners, thus increasing her risk for cervical cancer. Is that something you would want to gift to your wife with on your honeymoon? There is a way to test women (HPV Digene test) but no test for the man so you can?t know if you have it. Using the condom does not confer protection against acquiring this virus since the condom cannot cover the testes where the warts can grow and proliferate. (http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20080614142572/Teen-pregnancies-in-the-Philippines)

An ugly toll of technology: Impatience and Forgetfulness

June 15, 2010, 2:56pm Are your Facebook friends more interesting than those you have in real life? Has high-speed Internet made you impatient with slow-speed children? Do you sometimes think about reaching for the fast-forward button, only to realize that life does not come with a remote control? If you answered yes to any of those questions, exposure to technology may be slowly reshaping your personality. Some experts believe excessive use of the Internet, cellphones and other

technologies can cause us to become more impatient, impulsive, forgetful and even more narcissistic. More and more, life is resembling the chat room, says Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, director of the Impulse Control Disorders Clinic at Stanford. Were paying a price in terms of our cognitive life because of this virtual lifestyle. We do spend a lot of time with our devices, and some studies have suggested that excessive dependence on cellphones and the Internet is akin to an addiction. Web sites like NetAddiction.com offer self-assessment tests to determine if technology has become a drug. Among the questions used to identify those at risk: Do you neglect housework to spend more time online? Are you frequently checking your e-mail? Do you often lose sleep because you log in late at night? If you answered often or always, technology may be taking a toll on you. In a study to be published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, researchers from the University of Melbourne in Australia subjected 173 college students to tests measuring risk for problematic Internet and gambling behaviors. About 5 percent of the students showed signs of gambling problems, but 10 percent of the students posted scores high enough to put them in the at-risk category for Internet addiction. Technology use was clearly interfering with the students daily lives, but it may be going too far to call it an addiction, says Nicki Dowling, a clinical psychologist who led the study. Dowling prefers to call it Internet dependence. Typically, the concern about our dependence on technology is that it detracts from our time with family and friends in the real world. But psychologists have become intrigued by a more subtle and insidious effect of our online interactions. It may be that the immediacy of the Internet, the efficiency of the iPhone and the anonymity of the chat room change the core of who we are, issues that Dr. Aboujaoude explores in a book, Virtually You: The Internet and the Fracturing of the Self, to be released next year. Dr. Aboujaoude also asks whether the vast storage available in e-mail and on the Internet is preventing many of us from letting go, causing us to retain many old and unnecessary memories at the expense of making new ones. Everything is saved these days, he notes, from the meaningless e-mail sent after a work lunch to the angry online exchange with a spouse. (NYT) (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/262093/anugly-toll-technology-impatience-and-forgetfulness)