Title:  Norms Aren’t Normal
Feed: CWKN #387, May 28, 2008
Time: 1:31

SUGGESTED LEAD:  ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGISTS TELL SAY THERE IS A LOT OF PRESSURE ON KIDS TO BE “NORMAL,” TO BE JUST LIKE OTHER KIDS.  AND WHEN YOUNG PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT ‘NORMAL’ INCLUDES SMOKING AND DOING DRUGS, THAT’S WHAT THEY’RE MORE LIKELY TO DO.  BUT SOMETIMES WHAT THEY THINK IS “NORMAL” AND WHAT IS TRUE TURN OUT TO BE VERY DIFFERENT.   CONNECT WITH KIDS HAS THE STORY. 
<<PKG>>

NARR:  WHAT DO TEENAGERS THINK OTHER TEENAGERS ARE DOING ON A FRIDAY NIGHT? (:04)

SUPER: Leah Conover (:05)
“If you want to be cool, you have to drink and go out and…”

SUPER:  Latricia Smith (:10)
“Partying, having sex.  Weed, smoking, stuff like that.”

SUPER: Tad Kulanko (:15)
“Drinking or all smoking pot, doing drugs all the time.”

NARR:  EXPERTS SAY THAT IDEA, THAT ‘EVERYONE’ IS DOING IT… CAN BE POWERFUL, CAN BE A SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY. (:07)

SUPER: Sherry Blake, Ph.D., Psychologist (:25)
“Teenagers are often trying to find themselves, they want to fit in, they want to be part of the crowd.”

SUPER: Ryan Hentz (:32)
“If you grow up listening to that stereotype, that you know, you’re gonna grow up and do drugs, that you’re gonna grow up and have sex then I mean yea, it’s gonna be implanted in your head, and I mean you’re gonna believe that.”

NARR:   BUT THE STEREOTYPE IS A MYTH. THAT’S THE MESSAGE BEHIND A MOVEMENT CALLED “SOCIAL NORMING.”  WHAT’S “NORMAL” FOR MOST TEENS ISN’T GETTING DRUNK OR HIGH, HAVING SEX….GETTING PREGNANT OR VANDALIZING PROPERTY. (:14)

 SOT:  Sherry Blake, Ph.D., Psychologist (:54)
“The adolescent will realize that you know, I have choices, and guess what, everybody is not doing this and I don’t have to be drunk or I don’t have to be high to be cool.”

NARR:  SOCIAL NORMING HAS CAUGHT ON IN AT LEAST 40 COLLEGE CAMPUSES NATIONWIDE.  BUT EXPERTS SAY PARENTS CAN USE THE SAME CONCEPT WITH THEIR CHILDREN… WELL BEFORE COLLEGE AGE.

LET THEM KNOW THAT MILLIONS OF TEENS DON’T GET DRUNK OR HIGH AND…. (:16)

SOT: Sherry Blake, Ph.D., Psychologist (1:21)
“Guess what, you know there are a lot of teenagers doing positive things.  The norm is not where we have to go out and party and drink.”

SUGGESTED TAG:   SOCIAL NORMING ADVOCATES POINT OUT THAT TRADITIONAL ANTI-DRINKING PROGRAMS HAVE RESULTED IN LITTLE CHANGE IN COLLEGE STUDENT DRINKING PATTERNS. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS MOVEMENT, LOG ON TO (LOCAL WEBSITE) AND CLICK ON THE CONNECTING WITH KIDS ICON.