What Are Some of the Causes of Moral Decadence Among the Youth?

By Staff Writer | Last Updated August 4, 2015

Causes of moral decadence among the youth can be categorized into social, economic, cognitive and technological factors. Social causes include peer influence and unstable home environments, while economic factors include poverty. Technological innovations, such as media and the Internet, expose young people to potentially unwelcome information and cognitive causes are related to the need for belonging among the youth driven by physical and psychological needs.

Different societies across the globe continue to experience increases in the cost of living, which puts added pressure on parents to provide for all household needs, explains the Daily Times Nigeria. Parents have less time to share with children on important subjects, such as the dangers of premarital or unprotected sex. Lack of parental guidance on these sensitive issues makes youth more vulnerable.

Children and youth in such households are at an increased risk of engaging in drug abuse and illicit sex due to lack of supervision. Poverty pushes youth into vices such as drug trafficking or prostitution in an effort to earn a living, explains the World Council of Churches. Technology enables youth access to unrestricted information that may influence bad behavior. The Daily Times Nigeria suggests that the solution to bad behavior in youth is education and quality time.