How Iceland Saved Its Teenagers - BBC News

In 1998, 42% of Iceland’s 15 and 16 year-olds reported that they had got drunk in the past 30 days. By 2016, though, this figure had fallen to just 5% and drug use and smoking had also sharply declined. The action plan that led to this dramatic success is sometimes called “the Icelandic Model” – and strikingly, it does not focus on tighter policing or awareness campaigns to warn children off bad habits. Instead, top researchers collaborate closely with communities on initiatives like parental pledges and night-time patrols after dark, while the government invests in recreational facilities. But is being a teenager in Iceland still fun?

[lorrygeewhizzbang]

Can you imagine telling a group of 16 year olds in Ireland to go home?

[TheSwayzeTrain]

Iceland is a great country but many of these policies wouldnt work in larger countries due to the nature of violence in some of the more poorer parts of large cities. If a group of parents on curfew patrol went up to a random bunch of teenagers and told them to go home; they would become a knife crime statistic.

[xminteee]

42% of 15-16 year olds said they’d got drunk? That’s pretty normal tbh. In England I’d say it’s more than that for 15-16 year olds, probably more like 60% have got drunk, if you’ve been to a party by the age of 16 chances are you’ve got drunk. It’s more abnormal to not drink at this age than it is to drink.

Source: am 16 year old boy with social life

[Graeco]

I personally think a government set cerfew is ridiculous. How can the government believe they have the right to make going outside illegal?

[PizzaNinja]

The entire population of Iceland is approx. 335, 025 for 2017, so the number of children would be far less then this figure., Given these figures, i can see why this has worked so well, much larger countries would struggle to implement these things with larger populations, just the cost of after school activities alone would be unrealistic, besides here in the UK in Kingston Upon Thames the police tried to impose a curfew of 9 pm for children to leave the center of town and it was over turned by the European court of human rights so theirs that

[Iamrightyouarewrong]

Population of Iceland; 332, 529
Population of Los Angeles; 3.976 million

[ilsunnylo]

How? Smartphones and tablets. Porn instantly in your hands.

[elrusolokooooo]

Over controlling teenagers/kids is unsuccessful. I don't know how many 13-20 aged people watched this, but as someone who currently smokes pot on weekends and gets out with this type of teenagers described who either smoke weed or get drunk, I can say the truly effective and happy-for-all solution is to give people extra things to do like the governmental activities mentioned in the video. That's a very smart move. Restricting them from being out late, probably prevents teenagers from using those substances, but I don't think it's worth ruining a person's life period where any reason to go out, even if it's a very stupid reason like going with a friend to buy something, is valid. Sometimes drinking is related to violence but not always. Most teenagers who go out to drink or smoke weed have a good time even if people are disgusted to see them do it. Teenagehood is time to build future, and to enjoy the most out of this period. To live the moment while planting the seeds for the next life stage. Stop trying to force people to follow a strict imposed lifestyle instead of letting them learn from their own errors and be able to live naturally doing whatever they want as long as they don't kill themselves or TRULY ruin their lives.


Anyway Iceland has one of the highest cannabis use percentages in the world at 18% so if the purpose is to reduce all substances consumption, not everything went well 🤣

[whiteaesthetic]

As a British teen I agree with a lot of this. I am 15 and I know so many people who are out drinking or even smoking at like 2am on the streets. My town is reasonably safe but it doesn’t mean there isn’t a danger to it. They only go out so they don’t get caught. If you bring in the curfew then that prevents them from going out which also prevents them from substance use. It’s true, if this was introduced in let’s say the UK the teens would originally rebel. After a few years of raising kids to know the rules etc. from a young age you will result in teens who abide by the rules easily and not rebel because that’s what they’ve always known. With proper education about these topics from a young age you can prevent substance use among teens. If I’m honest I still go out at night, I’m admitting to it but I don’t drink. If you think I’m boring then well I still go outside at night and I’ve gotten drunk before but tbh I don’t feel the need to get drunk that often. I can have the same amount of fun without alcohol. I think that teens only drink and smoke because we’ve raised them not to so they rebel and when people so that others will be influenced. Now I know I said that we should raise them not to etc. but at the moment we are not giving the correct education needed. With more research just like Iceland has done this issue could easily be a thing of the past.

[seandennis]

Iceland is such a beautiful country, with a beautiful people, it's on top of my bucket list

[andreiamrlm]

You see, I'm 17 years old and honestly, I'm not the kind of going out at night, also I don't drink, or smoke or do drugs. However, I have another addictions. I'm always on the computer, or phone looking through social media or playing games. And my parents and society in general say that I'm like this because I want, that I don't do anything with my life because I want to, that I'm always "online" because I want to. And you know, this pisses me of so, so much. NO! I'm not like this because I want to. I'm like this because there's nothing I can do in order to distract myself or entertain myself. I've always wanted to do things I like, play football/soccer, visit places a like, being with friends (good friends, not the ones I have), playing handball, ...but I can't because my parents never placed me in one of those extra curricular activities and never let me go out by myself. To " help the situation" I live in the middle of nowhere. They have indeed, placed me in activities, but they were activities I don't have interest in. I just wish I would live in Iceland. Sometimes at night I actually cry because of some things that happen in my life, but also because I'm turning 18 and haven't done anything yet...

[FreemonSandlewould]

So you have successfully turned these young individuals into something that the state can easily control. Not a good idea.

[joan]

I'm from Spain and if I go out with my friends to have dinner at 10pm we haven't even started eating. This would be such a huge problem over here (also 60% of underage Spanish teens said that they drink alcohol in the weekend, which is a lot compared to Iceland in the 80s)

[southstar]

Basically parents taking responsibility for their kids actions and behaviors. So simple yet so effective. Some countries should learn to do the same

[tq]

Parents are lucky there, the the community and the government are working together in guiding this kids into a much better foundation.
Kids cant handle too much freedom, they abuse it. I'd rather have a boring community than unsafe and out of control.

[ВасяКавайчук]

Russia has a curfew too. However, teens in Russia are pretty similar to the ones in the United States. The ones which stay late at night are very savage, living with the “fuck the police” altitude. Do you really think they’ll just go home after being caught by parents. Even more, would you think that they will get caught by the police? I don’t think so...

[jintziejth]

We should do these things, and base it on research!

[jacobtiny]

It ain't necessary to consider these ways of keeping teens in check as applicable for every society, cause the mentality is divergent everywhere. The thing is suitable for German youths, won't be so for Irish juniors. All is individual.

[hardrocker]

That's actually all pretty messed up.

[dennjosh]

I very much agree of what the government has done to acomplish this kind of task they did it without any setbacks or negative effects and it also makes the people of iceland more family oriented