About Us
We are debunkers.
Youth Facts organization is dedicated to providing factual information on youth issues such as crime, violence, sex, drugs, drinking, social behaviors, education, civic engagement, attitudes, media, and whatever the latest teen terror du jour arises. Beginning around 35 years ago--coinciding with visibly increasing racial diversity of American youth--interests of every stripe discovered they could buttress their politics, programs, fame, and fortunes by manufacturing ever-wilder fears of young people's "new" and "shocking" dangers and endangerments. (Miracle of miracles, these very interests' pet programs, legislative agendas, and especially monetary enrichment just happened to be the ticket to fix these unheard-of youth epidemics.)
As "youth" have become handier scapegoats, horror figures, and profit-generating commodities in America's privatized social policy arena, sincerity has been buried by fear, lying, and raw self-interest. The information provided on these pages is ORIGINAL—that is, NOT derived secondhand from special interests, media reports, or anointed "experts." Rather, the reader will be able to see and link to the primary data sources cited—and will be able to see firsthand how youth issues are routinely distorted in public forums. Sure, we have opinions, biases, and often belong to groups with an array of agendas. But we don't tie information here to supporting a political or social agenda. We do promise to debunk others' agendas with gusto. So many interests and media across the political spectrum manufacture such grossly inaccurate things about youth—then recycle each other's worst inaccuracies—that we can promise a site that is both non-ideological and offensive to ideologues. And, unlike entrenched interests, we'll respond seriously to challenges and corrections.