STATES CHRONICLE – It seems that, in the United States, hungry teens would do anything just to know they have something to eat. Sometimes, they are making choices like trading sex for money, stealing or even kill people. According to a study made by the Urban Institute and Feeding America, teenagers are risking their futures to survive.
It is hard to think, but one in five American children live in food-insecure houses. Hunger is a major issue even for the United States. Teenagers who live in those families are taking the responsibilities of an adult and feel like they should be the one providing food for the others. Researchers find out that about 7 million young people ( from 10 to 17 years-old) are suffering from hunger. They used data from 193 teens from 10 communities.
It seems that teenagers have no benefits from the programs that provide food for younger people. Most of them think it is their responsibility to bring food for the whole family or for their little brothers. There are hungry teens who do not want to steal or trade sex for money. They find jobs that are low-paid and begin to eat the cheapest food. Eating only fast-food will cause them health problems like obesity or heart attacks. However, hunger is a bigger problem for them and sometimes, this food is the only choice they have.
A major issue is that fresh food is expensive. Most hungry teens are not able to buy it and they have to eat fast-food. The study shows that even with the cheapest food, there are families who run out of it by the middle of the month. That is the moment when the teens are starting to make illegal things. They steal items to make money for food or they even trade sex for food. Moreover, some of them fail school just to have access to free food programs. It is hard to think that some teenagers find their only solution to provide food is to steal or kill for it.
Teen who lives in those poor communities want to have a job, but it is very hard for them. It can be difficult to work and go to school at the same time. Moreover, they do not have experience and most people do want to hire them. The authorities should focus more on finding ways to improve food security for children and teenagers.
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