KEY POINTS:
Teenager Emma Hawkins is a typical teenager in many ways. She feels the pressure of "being cool", has tried boozing and has lied to her parents about where she was and what she was doing.
The 16-year-old from Thames always thought she had been responsible - until she
found out she was pregnant.
"I was 4 1/2 months pregnant when I found out. I had to tell my parents. I had no choice if I was ever going to get support," she says.
Her parents did not know she was sexually active. "My mum and dad trusted me. It was a hugely hard thing to do because I idolise my father."
Emma felt embarrassed and tried to conceal her growing belly.
The pregnancy was also a shock for her 18-year-old boyfriend, Robbie Takotohiwi. "If you're single, you go out with your mates and get hammered and then try to find the opposite sex," he said of the teen mentality.
"I used to smoke weed hard out and drink just to get drunk."
Despite headlines suggesting teenagers are out of control, research shows most people come through their teenage years unscathed.
The last major survey of secondary school students, Youth 2000, showed 80 per cent of teenagers felt healthy, had positive networks in family and school and stayed clear of risky behaviour.
A significant number, however, had emotional problems and were exposed to unsafe environments, such as being in a car with a drunk driver.
The survey showed that almost half of 15-year-olds had taken part in binge drinking, one in three had had sex, more than half had tried smoking and nearly half had tried marijuana. "Peer pressure is the major problem," says Emma, a spokeswoman for Youth Week.
"If you don't drink, you're not popular and not considered to be cool. Drugs get shoved in your face and there's not much you can do except walk away. And keeping things from parents is a major thing. You don't want to disappoint them." Even if teenagers pass the test of temptation, they may still be hit with tragedy through no fault of their own. Such a situation seems to have occurred in Christchurch last weekend, when a driver at a party ploughed through a group, killing two and injuring several others.
The deaths happened despite the neighbourhood calling police when things looked like they were getting out of control.
It is a nightmare scenario that causes unease for all parents and one that draws sympathy from youth expert Sue Bagshaw.
"You can tell your child how to cross the road a million times and they can be really safe, but there's always going to be one drunk driver, and the child's dead," said Dr Bagshaw, who has worked with teenagers for 26 years.
The challenges facing youth stem from a myriad of issues such as socio-economics and society's attitudes and values.
Emma and Robbie learned their lessons the hard way, and have 6-month-old Cameron as a constant reminder.
The couple now live with Emma's parents and she has started saving to study to be a social worker. Robbie is working for a landscaping company.
"As soon as Cameron popped out, he made me see what life's all about," says Robbie.
"I gave up weed just like that and I hardly ever drink now. My priorities are my missus, my son and work."
