Current youth issues include:

AIDS: (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome).  An estimated 11.7 million children and young people are living with HIV/AIDS. In sub-Saharn Africa, 70% of young people have HIV/AIDS. This region also has 90% of the AIDS orphans in the world--12 million children.

Alcohol is a factor in the deaths of one fourth of 15 to 29-year-old males in Europe, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Alcohol is the world's most widely used mind-altering drug. A central nervous system depressant, alcohol creates a state of euphoria. It reduces mental alertness and impairs body coordination when consumed in large amounts. Alcohol is associated with brain deterioration, liver cirrhosis, heart damage, traffic accidents, violent crimes, lost work productivity, and adverse family relations.

Changing Family Demographics affects both society in general and children in particular.

In some cultures, it is common for generations of extended family members to live together. In other cultures, children move out of the family home upon attaining adulthood. Changes in these social patterns affect the family unit.

Factors which influence the family unit include: economics, war, natural disasters, disease, substance abuse, physical abuse, changes in socially acceptable behavior (e.g., single parenting) and divorce.

Child Abuse includes (according to the US National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse): neglect (54% of US cases in 1997), physical abuse (22% of US cases in 1997), sexual abuse (8% of US cases in 1997), emotional maltreatment (4% of US cases in 1997) and all other forms of maltreatment (12% of US cases in 1997) of a child under age 18 by any person responsible for the child's care.

UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) reports that child abuse is prevalent all over the world although they are rarely acknowledged in developing countries. Emotional abuse usually coexists with other forms of child abuse.

Drug abuse is a youth issue in most cultures. Children between the age of eight and 20 often inhale volatile solvents. Young adults, between the ages of 16 and 35, are the main users of marijuana and psychotropic substances. Users of cocaine and heroin are usually between the ages of 20 and 35. These age groups are consistent throughout out the world.

The most widely abused drug in the world is cannabis (marijuana), according to a 2001 report by the United Nations Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNDCP). The average age for first marijuana use is 12.

UNDCP also reports a global increase in the use of synthetic drugs, especially speed and Ecstasy, which are amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS). Introduced in the 1980s, ATS are the recreational drug of choice among young people in the industrialized world. ATS are often taken in combination with cannabis.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) occurs as a result of significant, direct alcohol intake by a mother to her fetus. Babies born with FAS tend to weigh less and to be shorter in length than other babies. Additional FAS indicators include: smaller heads, deformed facial features, abnormal joints and limbs, poor coordination, learning problems, and short memories.

FAS causes permanent mental impairments and hyperactivity. FAS is a leading cause of mental retardation.

Gangs create a sense of family for youth from dysfunctional homes. Reasons for joining street gangs include: gaining a sense of identity, recognition, discipline, love, belonging, and money.

Previously, gangs were formed to serve as protectors of a particular region of a neighborhood. In the 1990s, gangs changed to become sellers of illegal drugs, car thieves, and robbers. Gang membership today usually includes violence, gunfire, graffiti, and drug use.

Illiteracy affects millions of people all over the world. Statistics from the World Bank reveal that in 2001, the country of Niger had a 92% illiteracy rate, Burkina Faso had an 87% illiteracy rate, Guinea-Bissau had an 82% illiteracy rate, and Afghanistan had an 80% illiteracy rate.

Defined as someone who lacks a fourth grade education, women in developing countries are the largest group of illiterates. About 20% of people age 15 and over who live in developed countries are also functionally illiterate.

Malnutrition and eating disorders, affect millions of young people worldwide. The UN estimates that there are 790 million chronically hungry people in the world. Micronutrient deficiency, such as Vitamin A deficiency, affects 100 million children in the world. More than two billion people in the world (mostly women and children) are iron deficient.

In Canada, eating disorders are the third most common chronic illness among adolescent females. Eating disorders (including anorexia and bulimia), are voluntary methods of attempting to maintain a minimal body weight.

Poverty affects the health, nutrition, employment, literacy, housing, sanitation, and safety of children. It is the outstanding economic and social problem in the world today.

In 2000, 220 million people in Africa lived in extreme poverty. Defined as living on less that one US dollar per day, there are more than 1.3 billion people in the world who live in extreme poverty, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Psychological disorders affecting young adults include depression and teen suicide. Common symptoms of teen depression include: unhappiness, feelings of isolation, loss of appetite, hopelessness, apathy, withdrawal, tears, and sleeplessness.

Risk factors for adolescent depression include: a family history of depression, stress, cigarette smoking, the loss of a parent or loved one, the dissolution of a romantic relationship, an attentional, conduct or learning disorder, a chronic illness, abuse or neglect, or other trauma such as surviving a natural disaster.

Underlying causes of teen suicide include: economic depression, social isolation, hopelessness, alcohol, drug use, stress, life crises, and the breakdown of the family unit, including divorce.

Sexual activity, teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, are issues that affect youth worldwide.

Tobacco users are usually addicted to smoking or chewing tobacco by age 20. Sixteen is an average age for first tobacco use.

Worldwide, four million people die every year due to tobacco use, according to WHO. About 80,000 to 100,000 young people become regular long-term smokers every day. Most of these young people live in developing countries. Non-smokers are at-risk of developing lung cancer from inhaling tobacco smoke.

Violence, including the use of weapons, frequently coincides with drug abuse and gang activity. Poverty and a lack of employment opportunities are often the impetus for violent behavior.