Being Generous Beneficial for Child & Adolescent Health
Giving to others helps teens feel that their lives have purpose.
Research shows that a teen who sees a purpose for his life and who is involved in meaningful activity will be much less likely to participate in high risk behaviors.
But children aren't born with a desire to be generous. Generosity is a virtue that must be instilled in children by their parents and other important figures of authorities in their lives. Research shows that talking with children about giving raises the probability of their giving by 18.5 percent over not talking to them about it. For more information on the benefits of generosity and how to encourage generous behavior in children
According to the 2016 Monitoring the Future survey from the National Institute of Health, 68% of high school seniors do not view regular smoking as harmful.
However, a recent study found that teens who regularly smoke marijuana are more likely to become addicted to marijuana, try other illicit drugs or commit suicide than teens who have never tried the drug.
Another study showed that persistent cannabis use during adolescence is associated with psychosis, depression, anxiety and impaired consciousness well into adulthood and middle age.
Although limited legalization of marijuana has already raised rates of unintended marijuana exposure among children and may increase adolescent use, children and adolescents still look to their parents for help and guidance in making the decision to not use drugs.
For helpful information on the negative effects of marijuana please view the
Giving to others helps teens feel that their lives have purpose. 
