THE TEENS' SPEECH BLOG

Teen Nip Tuck

Nearly 50% fof teenage girls going to secondary school would consider laser treatment, liposuction or another form of cosmetic surgery to change the way they look.

The study, commissioned by The Girl Guides Association, found that 46% of girls aged 11 to 16, and 50% of girls aged 16 to 21 would consider cosmetic surgery to make themselves thinner or prettier.

Critics (thankyou,Daily Mail) have blamed the popularity of cosmetic surgery operations among celebrities and television shows such as 10 Years Younger and The Swan for making often risky surgical procedures appear as simple as a trip to the butchers. But, clearly there are deeper issues at work other than the desire to look like Jordan or Victoria Beckham. At the heart of this lie feelings of alienation, stress and low self-esteem.

For instance, the number of teenage girls considering plastic surgery increases among under-16s who are under-performing at school. 81% of girls whose school performance was rated as satisfactory or poor said that they would have invasive surgery to improve their appearance.

It all feels like a new spin on something very old - the ceaseless and unending pressure on women to conform to contemporary and fleeting notions of beauty. And it's always the most vulnerable who feel it the most.

Dying for a tan

An alarming quarter of a million 11 to 17-year-olds in England are risking skin cancer by using sunbeds, according to Cancer Research UK, raising the very real possibility that we have a generation of young people literally dying for a tan.

The government-funded study of more than 9,000 children found 6% had used a sunbed and in some areas of the country a whopping 40% of teenagers used them every week.

OK - the fact that 51% and 48% of 15 to 17-year-old girls in Liverpool and Sunderland respectively have used sunbeds might not be too much of a stretch - even though it's a blatant case of scientific research reinforcing cultural and geographical stereotypes. But, 23% of sunbedding children and teenagers also appear to be using sunbeds at home - completely without supervision.

Isn't that just a little bit odd? Fake tanning as a children's leisure activity? Have your tea, do your homework, watch yet another Friends re-run on E4 and spend an hour chilling and grilling on your sunbed?

Justine Sheils, a 37-year-old administrator from Liverpool, began using sunbeds when she was 15 and was diagnosed with malignant melanoma five years ago. Quoted on the BBC News website, she says,

"I see girls of 14 or 15 in their school uniforms going into that same salon I used to use and they come out looking like lobsters..."

The real issue here is that we have a generation of young women who are willing to sacrifice their well being in the (highly questionable) pursuit of looking good. What can we do to stop it?

Fat children took my life

Jarvis enters the debate. It's a wicked tune, brilliant songwriting and I'm sure it's more than a little tongue in cheek. But, it's also an example of how the demonisation of children has become commonplace.

How you feeling? It's health week on The Teens' Speech

"I do worry about STD's, but unfortunately not until the next day. I've never had an STD and believe me when I say that's an incredible stroke of luck" Meet Scott. He's 19 and from North London.

If you're aged between 13-19 and have something to say about health, then go to MySpace or YouTube and upload a video today. We want to know how you feel about life in 2009 as well as what you’re expecting – and what you’d like to change - in the years to come.

Ain't nothing going on but the 'rents

If we're wondering why the next generation appear to be turning to drink and drugs to alleviate stress and depression, we need to be looking a little closer to home than Lily Allen. Try Mum and Dad.

British teenagers are more likely to binge drink, take drugs regularly, be stressed, depressed and have unprotected, underage sex. But do we know why?

Research published by The Girl Guides Association last week revealed that a third of girls aged 11 to 16 and 58 per cent of 16-21 year olds admit to drinking so much that they have been sick or lost control.

The authors went on to suggest that young celebrities, such as the singers Lily Allen and Sarah Harding, have helped create a culture of underage drinking for teenage girls.

But, is this really the case, or is it an example of convenient scapegoating?

How can we foist the blame for a nation of young boozers on the shoulders of a young, creative and independent woman like Lily Allen? Surely, the real cause of teenage drinking and drug taking - by boys and girls - lies in the more fundamental relationship between parent and child?

The reality is that it's not just teenagers who have a problem with drink and drugs. We all do.

This country has a love affair with alcohol that doesn't appear to be ending any time soon – two thirds of adults drink at least once a week and the government estimates that 10 million people exceed daily limit guidelines.

And lets not forget that 99.9% of the two billion notes currently in circulation have come into contact with cocaine.

In a report published last month, The Joseph Rowntree Foundation said children learn bad drinking habits from their parents. It went on to say that the most effective method of stopping young people from binge drinking was for family members to show them how to drink responsibly.

If we want our young people to stop partaking in drink and drugs , maybe we have to start partaking a little more responsibly ourselves.