Are young people becoming addicted to the internet?

Teenagers around the northern hemisphere are coming to the end of their summer holidays. The credit crunch, working parents and other factors will have meant that many of them will have been stuck at home for much of their time off school. And lots of them will have been on the internet. For hour after hour. Some parents feel that it’s safe – they’re at home and all is well. Others are concerned about over-use of the internet. At 1230 GMT this Saturday, Newshour will be asking whether this concern is justified.

Is social networking a suicide risk?

Bullied to death on Bebo. 15 year old Megan Gillans committed suicide following taunts on the Internet about her clothing and appearance. Yesterday the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, Vincent Nichols  criticised such sites for playing a key role in young people committing suicide.  Are we too addicted to realise the danger of online social networking?

Young reporters on the BBC

As WHYS is being taken care of, by school kids today, I thought it was worth letting you know how Your Story is working with under 18’s for their perspective on the news.

For a view on sex education in schools, I worked with teenage mums from Southampton on contraception.   There are also these three teenagers from Chicago who are recording about their lives in a failing school system, where there is poverty and violence.  To get involved, check out the Your Story blog.

A gypsy problem or a problem with gypsies?

Always wanted to talk or ask questions of Gypsies but didn’t know how?  Now is your chance.   On Wednesday WHYS will be coming from the home of an English Gypsy.  Here’s an email from our host…

Talking Points for 20 June

UPDATE: Ros here. We’ll be broadcasting live today from the Civicus World Assembly in Glasgow. We’ve just met with some of the people who are coming along . Here are their five suggestions for you to consider.

1. Are you satisfied with how your government is tackling the threat of ‘terrorism’?                              

2. Is a Western lifestyle something to aspire to?

3. Should leaders be left to lead? Or do you want more involvement in the decisions they make?

4. Should the developing world be left out of the fight against climate change? Why should it compromise the wealth and lifestyle that it’s only just getting?

5. Are there some services, such as trasnport, healthcare and education, which should always be in the hands of the state?

Let us know what you think. Here are the other stories that we’re considering….

ON AIR: Are we over-educated?

Ros, Chloe and Mark are in Glasgow for tonight’s special broadcast from the Civicus Youth Assembly. The presentations have been made, and a vote taken for which of the four debates below we’re going to talk about tonight.

Are we overeducated? won by a good margin so keep posting your comments below….

Should 16 year olds be allowed to vote? came second, so we’ll probably talk about that too.

Chola and Susan from Zambia proposed the winner…

Talking points for 26th March

It’s not exactly a quiet day – with more violence in Iraq, and warnings of an impending catastrophe in Somalia, where hostilities continue between government forces and Islamist insurgents – but in terms of talking points, the most interesting possibilities seem to lie around the edges of the main news agenda.

What is the best way to prevent STDs?

Hello everyone I’m Komla Dumor sitting in for Ros Atkins on World Have Your Say. Two hours of global debate and discussion at 1800GMT, and there are two big issues for you to talk about today.

Earlier this week, Lavinia who is working with us as part of a work experience scheme suggested we talk about the rise in sexually transmitted diseases in the US.

Should we learn in our native languages?

Hello. I’m Arnaud a Rwandan who lives in Cameroon. I say that children who start learning in their native languages rather than French or English are better educated than those who take-off with English and French. Do you agree?

Should boys and girls be taught separately?

A feature on the New York Times website which caught my eye today makes fascinating reading. It starts by introducing Leonard Sax, an American doctor who is abandoning his career to become a full-time advocate of single-sex education.