With whom are we to discuss “ways to help young people behave better.”? Not the young people themselves; they already know all of the answers, and have little or no respect for their elders and their social mores. Telling them drug taking is ‘wrong’; telling them that loose sexual behaviour will lead to misery will only make them more determined to go their own way.

I don’t see how anyone claiming experience of teenagers these days can say: “And don’t think that the younger generation are not going to listen to you.”

It is too late for teenagers because parents have wasted the children’s early formative years by giving into them, not realising that children simply have to be made to do certain things and not be allowed their own way. There are also too many people trying to friends to their kids instead of parents

Alex
Other people's consensual sexual relations are none of your business.

I blame the media and advertising industries.
As we all know sex sells and it is used in advertising by companies because it makes them money. They dont care about the cumulative effect of promoting promiscuity and perversion. There is no effect on them if they corrupt and degrade a whole generation they still make their profits.

We can hardly act surprised when the example we set is followed by the next generations. Television and movies portray sex in wholly unhealthy and unrealistic ways and since they are probably the most potent of all the influences children come under these days is it any wonder they are taking this "new" (im)morality to be the norm?

I fully expect to see new heights scaled in the breaking of taboos and a continual slide into the depths of depravity in the name of marketing and business. I was reading something the other day about breasts and their history and it got me to wondering if that will be a future cultural fad of the youthful masses. Clothing that exposes a tit or two or just plain toplessness. Apparently it was very big fashion wise once upon a time. How long before they have at the ultimate sexual taboo of pedophilia? Children are after all in the perfect position to break and destroy such a taboo.

Sexting, porn on tap, diy porn, are also products of todays technology. How much further can it go? Not to mention the message that Viagra sends to young people. They are told sex is THE most important thing in life and that it is your right to have as much of it as you want forever. Is it any wonder they get confused when the reality doesnt play out like that?

We must set the example that we want our children to follow and not expect them to do as I say not as I do. We must stop commerce using sex for its own ends to make money. We must be open and honest with children about sex and then allow them to safely and freely experience it in their own time and in their own way, free from perverting outside influences and with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions.

Alex, thank you for writing this article. Discussion about this issue would be more useful if people were more specific. Motherhood statements about 'being more respectful of women' don't explain exactly what is or is-not acceptable sexual behaviour and what should be the consequences. Is sleeping around a sacking offence? Is infidelity a sacking offence? What about group sex? Would Matthew Johns' critics be comfortable if a female media personality lost her job for any of the above?

Wing, I'm afraid that other people's actions do affect the rest of us. When other people make poor choices they expect me to feel sorry for them. When the worst behaved men get rewarded with more sex it influences the behaviour of other men. When women say 'no' a few times before saying 'yes', they help to create a world where there is rape. When women sleep around, men are less likely to consider having long term relationships. I could go on and on.

In every sport there's negatives in approached and application, it seems NRL is the main contributor to misbehaving and holier than thou attitudes. Aussie rules had problems, it cleaned up the game and the culture, now bad behavior is severely dealt with on and off the field.

In NRL violent behavior on the field is condoned and encouraged by commentators and leaders, doing all in their power to excuse and dismiss their brawling game, by calling it manly. Until they remove the violence from the game and add more skills, it will continue the way it is. Many parents realise it's a primitive approach to sporting life, so they push their kids to other sports where they can enjoy themselves on and off the field, responsibly.

I was involved in rural football in NSW in the 80/90's, the business I operated was a sponsor. Saturday nights throughout the season was always trouble, those in charge mainly joked and laughed about it.

When Aussie rules came to town, they had a couple of fund raisers at our premises and after their first year approached us for sponsor ship. We'd been informed by the local NRL that they weren't happy we'd allowed them to use our venue and if we sponsored them they'd remove NRL support from our business. The behavior of both codes off the field, meant we were losing customers when the NRL team was in our venue, yet when the AFL teams were there, it was a good night. Unlike NRL, families came along with the team after games and to functions bringing others with them.

Rugby league has to change dramatically or die, people want to watch elite skilled footballers, not thugs bashing each other on the field and abusing any they want off the field. It's sad for those who love and play the game in good spirits and fair play. As long as the game consists of violently grabbing people around the neck, throwing them to the ground and jumping on them as the main aspect of the game, what else can you expect.