Teenagers Archives - The Florida Capital Star

Youth Homicide Rate Spikes to Highest Level in Two Decades

June 16, 2023 Florida Capital Star Staff

The homicide rate among individuals ages 10 through 24 in 2021 reached its highest level in 20 years, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In 2021, there were 10.7 homicides for every 100,000 people ages 10 through 24, up from 8.3 in 2016 and 7.3 in 2011, according to the CDC. Suicide and homicide are the second and third leading causes of death, respectively, for people ages 10 through 24, behind accidental deaths that involve motor vehicle crashes and falls, according to the CDC report.

Report: Children Under 14 Dying from Fentanyl Poisoning at Faster Rate than Any Other Age Group

January 17, 2023January 16, 2023 The Center Square

Children under age 14 are dying from fentanyl poisoning at a faster rate than any other age group in the U.S., according to a new analysis from Families Against Fentanyl.

In the past two years, synthetic opioid (fentanyl) deaths among children surged.

Fentanyl-related deaths among infants (children under age one) quadrupled from 2019 to 2021; more than tripled among children between the ages of 1 and 4 and nearly quadrupled among children between the ages of 5 and 14.

Miami Doctor Uses TikTok, Hip-Hop Music to Promote Sex Change Surgeries to Teens

September 12, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff

Dr. Sidhbh Gallagher, a Miami-based plastic surgeon, advertises the “gender-affirming” surgeries she performs on adolescents on the youth-dominated social media app TikTok, a Daily Caller News Foundation review found.

Gallagher’s TikTok profile contains hundreds of videos about transgender-related surgeries she performs, some of which include photos or videos of her young patients showing off mastectomy scars. Her videos are part of the pro-medicalization, transgender-affirming trend encouraging young people on social media to pursue biomedical interventions.

Study: Teen Cannabis Use Increases, Mental Health Declines in States with Fewer Legal Restrictions

July 5, 2022July 4, 2022 The Center Square

States that have legalized marijuana have seen increasingly strong THC products and a rise in mental health issues among teenagers, a newly released nationwide study reports.

The Drug Free America Foundation authored the study, given first to The Center Square, which reports on “an association between adolescent cannabis use, the use of high potency cannabis products, and increased risk of psychosis.”