The "key opinion leaders" in China refer to us as brats spoiled to the core. By labeling us as such, these KOLs conclude invariably that America is hopeless.

Well, who's kidding who?

The Chinese media would like to impress us that teen pregnancy is so widespread in America that it is really beyond the pale. Really? According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the American teen birth rate has actually been declining since 1991 and hit a record low in 2019. Incidentally, I am afraid that the Chinese birth rate is low enough to be a headache for Beijing. But then I digress.

The CDC also indicates that young Americans are less and less inclined to have sexual intercouse during their high school years. This trend makes sense of the drop in teen pregnancy today.

How about drug and alcohol use? The National Institute on Drug Abuse found in 2021 that American teens have continuously been smoking less and drinking less for decades. Indeed, between 1991 and 2019, the percentage (%) of American teens admitting to have "ever tried cigarette smoking" came down from 70 to 24. During the same period, there has also been a sharp percentage fall in current smokers (from 27.5% in 1991 to 6% in 2019).

As developmental psychologists would remind us, adolescence is nothing short of "storm and stress." Troubled kids exist everywhere. Research on troubled kids is well-developed in the West, not so much in China. I entertain no hope that the Chinese media will start referencing developmental psychologists. But I entertain every hope that the Chinese people will beware of what their Ministry of Truth tells them. That said, they must not cease to challenge Americans. We are open to challenges because we are open to ideas and corrections.

Author: Lingyang Jiang