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Tag: Teenagers

  • The intelligence of the 21st century teenagers – By Amarachi Favour

    The intelligence of the 21st century teenagers – By Amarachi Favour

    By Amarachi Favour Maduka

    The 21st century teenagers are teenagers who are dynamic, strong willed and rational in the things they do. The level at which they operate in terms of trying new things is awestricken.They are vast in the use of technological gadgets sometimes more than adults. They learn new things individually or as a group thereby delving into creative acts that bring us to the realization of the difference between the teens of this era and the teens of the past era. In the light of this, the focus of this piece is the intelligence of the 21st century teenagers.

    Intelligence in humans is the ability to think, act flexibly and be mature in all kinds of situations. It is categorised into two; namely: Intelligent quotient(IQ) and Emotional intelligence (EI). Intelligent quotient is a measure of your ability to solve problems and think logically while emotional intelligence measures the ability to understand, manoeuvre and manage emotions (yours and others’). It has a great influence in our successs in life . Emotional intelligence is characterised by self awareness, self control, social awareness, relationship management and so on. It is needed for the proper application of intelligent quotient.

    The 21st century teenager has been able to exhibit the knowledge of the application of intelligent quotient in the way they do things which in some instances is a reflection of their exploits either positively in terms of academics, science and technology or negatively in terms of fraudulent acts and other misdeamenors. Taking a look at the rate at which the 21st century has witnessed this influx, exploit and proliferation of intelligence by teens and youth on the society and globally, is this to say that the clamour for independence is a prerequisite for this intelligence? The clamour for freedom is one attitude they portray most times due to the mindset that they can fix their problems. Their technological know-how and prowess makes them feel they are mature enough to understand the world better and faster. This also gives them access to unlimited knowledgeable resources which maybe used positively or negatively as a result they feel they can build their intelligence and confidence on their own.

    Can they be left with little or no guidance/supervision as their individuality and personality is becoming sharper? According to research , the teenagers are the world’s most endangered group at the moment. As of 2022, around 40% of the population was aged 15 years and younger compared to a global average of 25%. Without the right guidance they have the capacity to self implode and set the world ablaze. In as much as the teenagers need adequate guidance and supervision, parenting style should not be rigid but should be done through CARE, that is; Create rapport, Assess, Review report and Encouragement.

    The next question is, have they been able to harmonize EI and IQ in their endeavours? Considering the fact that these sub-adults exhibit certain attributes of intelligence in their activities notwithstanding, attention needs to be given to their emotional intelligence because it is during this stage they re-examine their identity and try to find out exactly who they are. They are at the threshold of their emotions and are often unable to manage it. This might sometimes degenerate into depression, moodswing as well as conflict among peers and adult around them. As teens grow into adult emotional intelligence becomes tied to internal motivation and self regulation. The application of IQ in terms of what they do has nothing to do with their EI. As a matter of fact the level of emotional susceptibility is at its peak.

    Finally, how can they develop their EI? The teenage stage is a period of heightened emotionality. If they can not perceive, understand, regulate and function with their emotions, it will leave indelible mark on their behaviour and personality as they metamorphize into adulthood. EI helps in identifying a problem as well as having the ability to manoeuvre situations without stress and harmonise interpersonal relations. Hence, there is the need to take cognisance of this category of intelligence by the teenagers as this tends to influence their success in life both in academics; facing negative emotions that might disrupt learning such as anxiety during exams, test , project work as well as depression over dissappointing grades. It also makes them understand people’s emotion and how to possibly react without conflict. Above all, it helps them to grow into a well developed adult who is mentally, socially and even physically healthy.

    Nonetheless, EI is an evolving skill that can take time and conscious effort  to develop but there are some factors that can enhance the quick development of this intelligence such as media, environment,school and parenting style . Prominence should be given to parenting style as a factor, earlier stated. It should not be rigid but should be done with CARE:

    Create rapport: there should be open communication between parents and their teenagers . They should be made to believe in their parents to the extent that they can seek recourse from them. Parents should help them identify positive emotions and the negative ones. This is the first step to developing the EI ; identifying emotions.

    Assessment: constant check on ways they react to people’s actions, making them correlate and understand the different identified emotions. This will help them know how to react.

    Review report: the changes discovered in them as they undergo this process, should be the evidence needed for the development of this intelligence. Nevertheless, reward the little progress noted as this will have a  positive role to play.

    Encouragement: every individual loves to be commended for any obligation given that was done well . Constant encouragement will help create the platform to establish and develop an implementation plan. This gradually forms a part of their overall personality and  perspective which finally develops their emotional intelligence.

    The intelligence of the 21st century teenagers  should not be envisioned only in the light of their IQ due to their vast knowledge in science and technology and the dexterity they display in this era but their EI should also be perused as their stage is a period of elevated emotionality and they need CARE to harmonize the  EI and IQ which will help them become successful and better individuals as they transcends into adulthood.

    Amarachi Favour Maduka is a teacher and a teenage coach.

  • 3 teenagers die in Kano fire

    3 teenagers die in Kano fire

    The Kano State Fire Service has confirmed that three people died in a fire outbreak at Kabuga, Yan Azara Market.

    This is contained in a statement by the Public Relations Officer of the service, Alhaji Saminu Abdullahi, on Tuesday in Kano.

    He said the incident occurred on Monday night.

    “We received an emergency call from Marwa Umar at about 10:40 p.m that there was a fire outbreak at Kabuga and immediately sent rescue team to the scene at about 10:50 p.m to prevent the fire from spreading to other houses.

    “Our men evacuated three unconscious bodies which were later confirmed dead and the corpses were handed over to their parents.

    “He gave the names of victims as, Abdulsamad Isyaku, 15; Fatima Isyaku, 16; and  Saddika Isyaku, 6″, he said in the statement.

    Abdullahi added that the service had already initiated an investigation into the cause of the fire.

  • Boat mishap: Sultan of Sokoto reacts to death of 29 teenagers

    Boat mishap: Sultan of Sokoto reacts to death of 29 teenagers

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, says the death of 29 teenagers in a boat mishap at Gidan-Magana village, Shagari Local Government Area of Sokoto State, as tragic.

    Abubakar III expressed his feelings on Friday during a condolence visit to the bereaved families, people and government of Sokoto state on the tragedy that occured on Wednesday.

    The Sultan, who was represented by the Sarkin Kabin Yabo, Alhaji Muhammadu Maiturare, however described the incident as an inevitable act of Almighty Allah.

    “All of us mortals must die, must at one time or the other die, and we pray to the Almighty Allah to grant them Aljannat Firdaus.

    “We are also fervently praying for Him to grant the families, people and government of Sokoto state the formidable fortitude to bear the irreplaceable losses.”

    The Sultan is currently in Saudi Arabia performing Umrah (lesser Hajj/pilgrimage).

    Meanwhile, Rep. Abubakar Umar (APC-Sokoto) on Friday also condoled with the people of the village over the death of the teenagers.

    Umar expressed shock over the tragic death of the teenage firewood hawkers.

    Umar beseeched the Almighty Allah to grant them eternal rest as well as give their families the fortitude to bear the irreparable losses.

    He donated N300,000 to the bereaved families, N100,000 to the residents and two hundred bags of cement for the rehabilitation of the village cemetery.

    The deceased lost their lives on Wednesday when the boat they were traveling in on Shagari river in search of firewood capsized.

    Out of the figure, 23 were females, six males, while six victims were rescued alive.

  • Gombe NSCDC command parade teenage commercial sex workers

    Gombe NSCDC command parade teenage commercial sex workers

    Six teenage commercial sex workers have been paraded by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, in Gombe state.

    The Gombe State Command of the NSCDC made this revelations on Tuesday, after the teenage sex workers were rescued from a joint.

    It was gathered that those paraded were between 16 and 19 years of age, hustling around Mile Three Meluku area.

    One of the NSCDC operatives, Commandant Waziri Goni revealed that the teenagers were from neighbouring states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno and Plateau.

    According to him, his men rescued the teenagers in the night at Gidan Solo, after useful information by some residents within the area.

    He added that two of the operators of the facility had been arrested and charged to court, saying that the girls’ parents have been contacted but never showed up.

    Goni said, “It is a pity none of their parents has shown up at least for them.

    “These are promising youths wasting away with no certain future.”

    The commandant pleaded with parents to ensure strict monitoring of their wards to avoid breeding of future criminals, adding that the likes of the girls harbour criminals.

    Aisha Umar from Bauchi state and Faizah Mohammed from Gombe state claim that the hustling, (prostitution) is highly rewarding hence their involvements in it.

    Mohammed said, “I charge between N15,000 and N25,000 for home services.”

    Rocket Hotel founder , Love Samuel, who was also arrested and paraded, said she was unaware of the fact that commercial sex workers lurk around her hotel to look for customers, saying she gave out the structure on rent to two persons who run the place.

     

  • Teenagers react as actor Zubby Michaal lavishes N8m on birthday

    Teenagers react as actor Zubby Michaal lavishes N8m on birthday

    Some teenagers in Kaduna, on Tuesday criticised a contemporary Nollywood actor, Zubby Michael, for flaunting N8,455,900 receipt of food which he posted on his Instagram account after eating from a restaurant with his friends in one night.

    Zubby Michael, held his birthday party at a Lagos club on Feb. 6, during which he spent over N8 million and posted the receipt on his Instagram account, @Zubbymicheal, the following day, which attracted many roaring comments.

    In an interview with some of the teenagers described the amount spent on the food and displaying the receipt as extravagant, saying it is one among many factors that makes the youths engage in illegal activities to make money just to show it to the world.

    Speaking, one Nnenna Amobi, a student at the Kaduna State University, said “So should we clap for Zubby Michael?, when some people are struggling to eat once or twice a day and he is spending such amount on junks in one night, that is madness.”

    Also, Shafiu Salis, a barber’s shop owner, said some criminally-minded youths would see the receipt and start thinking of money rituals just to spend like the actor.

    He advised the actor and others who may be tempted to also flaunt such extravaganzas to keep their receipts to themselves.

    “Social media doesn’t need this; Don’t come and add to the problems of this generation, you are indirectly passing a wrong message to the teenagers and youths of these days, you spend N8m plus in one night, and you are showing us receipt, so we should fry egg for you?” he asked rhetorically.

    Another teenager, Sadiq Adegoke, an NYSC member, said the receipt the actor flaunted has no significance to the public.

    “These are some of the post that gives the youth wrong orientation of life, and will be hell bent on enriching themselves by whatever means.

    “If you are financially capable of making yourself convenient, keep it to yourself, posting it online is doing more harm than good to us, I think it is right time to regulate the social media,” he said.

    On his part, Nasiru Dan-Fulani, a business centre operator, said “Even if you spend this, you don’t need to post it, you know the situation of this country, stop oppressing the less privileged, we can not stop you from enjoying your life but use your brain.

    “It is a wrong message to the below average Nigerians. Such an irrelevant post, Zubby Michael can chop the life of his head without oppressing those who could not afford a meal in a day,” Dan-Fulani said.

    Also, Ephraim Joseph, said young boys somewhere would want to beat Zubby Michael’s record and then engage in diabolic means of making it quicker and bigger.

    “Zubby may not have spent the money from his personal coffers since he was celebrating his birthday and of course celebrities attended to show him love, our problem is the showoff of that extravagant receipt for food which could be unhealthy in the minds of teenagers”.

    NAN

  • Court remands 4 teenagers for alleged murder of girl friend

    Court remands 4 teenagers for alleged murder of girl friend

    An Abeokuta Magistrates’ Court on Thursday remanded four teenagers in prison for alleged murder of 20-year-old Sofiat Okeowo.

    The police charged Balogun Mustakeem, 20, Majekodunmi Soliudeen, 18, Abdulgafa Lukman, 19, and Waris Oladeinde, 18, on a two- count charge of conspiracy and murder.

    Magistrate I. O Abudu, who did not take the plea of the accused, ordered that they be remanded in prison.

    Abudu ordered that they should be remanded in Oba correctional service, pending Legal advice from Ogun State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

    She, however, adjourned the case until March 14 for mention.

    The Prosecutor, Insp. Lawrence Balogun, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Jan. 28 at Kugba area in Abeokuta.

    Balogun alleged that the accused conspired among themselves and murdered one Sofiat Okeowo who was a girl friend to one of the accused, Soliudeen.

    He said the accused killed her by cutting off her head with a cutlass.

    According to the prosecutor, the accused murdered Sofiat with the plan to use her for money ritual.

    The prosecutor said that the offence contravened sections 324, 316 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun 2006.

  • Two teenagers drown in a pond in Kano

    Two teenagers drown in a pond in Kano

    Two teenagers have been confirmed dead after drowning inside a pond in Fako village, Minjibir Local Government Area of Kano State.

    Sources in the area said the teenagers went swimming in the pond when the incident happened. The Council Chairman, Sale Ado-Minjibir confirmed the incident to newsmen in the state on Thursday.

    Ado-Minjibir in a statement by the council’s information officer, Tasi’u Yahaya identified the children as Uzaifa Yusufa and Buhari Abdulwahab who were below 15 years of age.

    He advised parents to keep close monitor vigilance on the whereabouts of their children particularly preventing them from going to the pond to swim in order to avert the reoccurrence of such ugly incidence.

    “The children drowned when they went swimming in the pond which children in the area are fond of doing during this rainy season.

    “We urge the parents to be vigilant and ensure their wards don’t go to such places to avoid reoccurrence of such ugly incidence,” Ado-Minjibir however noted.

  • Free yourselves from mobile phone addiction – Pope Francis tells teenagers

    Young people should not always be glued to their mobile phones, the 82-year-old Pope Francis said on Saturday as he met a group of Italian teenagers.

    “Free yourselves from mobile phone addiction, please, “ Francis said during a Vatican audience to pupils from Visconti, a renowned state high school in central Rome.

    “You’ve certainly heard about the tragedy of addictions, but the one with mobile phones is very subtle, very subtle,’’ the pontiff said, according to an official transcript.

    “Mobile phones are a great help, a great progress. They should be used, it’s good that everybody knows how to use them. But when you become a slave to your mobile phone, you lose your freedom,’’ he said.

    Francis urged his audience to “not be afraid of silence, of being on your own, not always, no, because that’s not good for you but take some time to be on your own.’’

    Back in 2017, the pope complained about the use of mobile phones during Mass, saying it made him “very sad’’ to see people holding them up during religious services, including “many priests and bishops.’’

    “Please! Mass is not a show!’’ he said at the time, recalling that the priest who celebrates Catholic Mass “says ‘Lift up your hearts,’ and does not say ‘Lift up your mobiles to take a picture.’’

  • How social media use affects teens mental health

    Social media is a daily part of life for the vast majority of teens and for many, social media platforms are becoming almost addictive. It comes as no surprise as there is a much greater good that comes with better use of social media platforms, as social media can be used for connecting, communicating, collaborating, advocacy and lot more.

    However, too much of every good thing, they say, is bad. It is hard to find a teenager without one social media profile or the other. More also, most teens visit social networking sites on a daily basis.

    A report by Common Sense Media found that more than a third of teens visit their main social networking site several times a day. A study by UCLA brain mapping center found that certain regions of teen brains became activated by “likes” on social media, sometimes causing them to want to use social media more.

    During the study, researchers used an fMRI scanner to image the brains of 32 teenagers as they used a fictitious social media app resembling Instagram. The teenagers were shown more than 140 images where “likes” were believed to be from their peers. However, the likes were actually assigned by the research team.

    As a result, the brain scans revealed that in addition to a number of regions, the nucleus accumbens, part of the brain’s reward circuitry, was especially active when they saw a large number of likes on their own photos. According to researchers, this area of the brain is the same region that responds when we see pictures of people we love or when we win money.

    What’s more, researchers say that this reward region of the brain is particularly sensitive during the teen years, which could explain why teens are so drawn to social media.

    Undoubtedly, social networking plays a vital role in broadening teen social connections and helping them learn valuable technical skills.

    But what impact is all of this social networking having on young teen minds?

    Sleep deprivation

    Sometimes teens spend so many hours on social media that they begin to lose valuable sleep. Consequently, this sleep loss can lead to moodiness, a drop in grades, and overeating, as well as exacerbate existing problems like depression, anxiety, and ADD.

    Communication issues

    While social media is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family, it also is not the same as face-to-face communication. For instance, a teen cannot see a person’s facial expressions or hear their tone of voice online. As a result, it is very easy for misunderstandings to occur, especially when people try to be funny or sarcastic online.

    What’s more, many teens spend so much time online checking statuses and likes that they forget to interact with the people right in front of them.

    Anxiety

    Teens often feel emotionally invested in their social media accounts. Not only do they feel pressure to respond quickly online, but they also feel pressure to have perfect photos and well-written posts, all of which can cause a great deal of anxiety. In fact, some studies have found that the larger a teen’s social circle online the more anxiety they feel about keeping up with everything online.

    Depression

    Researchers are just beginning to establish a link between depression and social media. While they have not actually discovered a cause and effect relationship between social media and depression, they have discovered that social media use can be associated with an intensification of the symptoms of depression, including a decrease in social activity and an increase in loneliness.

    Envy

    Jealousy and envy—while normal emotions—can wreak havoc on teen brains if they dwell on what someone else has possessed or has experienced, that they themselves have not. And because people tend to post only the positive things that they experience, or make light of the bad with funny little anecdotes, it can appear to the reader that other people lead more exciting lives than they do.

    Unfortunately, what teens often do not realize is that people tend to only post their “highlight reel” on social media and often keep the mundane or difficult experiences off the Internet. As a result, another person’s life may look perfect online, but offline they have struggles just like anyone else.

     

  • Teens handed jail terms for gang rape of 13-year-old girl

    Four teenagers on Monday were handed jail terms for involvement in the gang rape of a 13-year-old girl in a wooded area in the south-western German town of Velbert.
    Eight boys aged between 14 and 17 were accused of ambushing the girl, dragging her into a wooded area and gang raping her before a passer-by intervened.
    All eight are of Bulgarian origin.
    Only six were sentenced in the regional court in Wuppertal.
    The remaining two, who absconded to Bulgaria with their families after the incident, were arrested there some time later and will face trial separately.
    A spokeswoman for the court said the main perpetrator had been handed four years and nine months in prison, while his main accomplice received a 4-year sentence.
    Two others received shorter jail terms, while the remaining two were sentenced to probation.
    Prosecutors said the evidence against the boys was overwhelming.
    It included video footage filmed on one of their mobile phones, DNA samples taken from the victim, and testimony from the woman who interrupted the crime.
    dpa/NAN