Rise in runaway teens a deceiving trend

By Staff Writer

Advocates say that millions of troubled teens run away from home, but it is a largely invisible problem because many kids do not live out on the streets.

According to The Associated Press, many youths leave home and move from couch to couch, staying with friends or relatives. Paige Nolt, of the Virignia-based nonprofit Children, Youth and Family Services, told the news source that the number of runaways is growing, and the average age of a fleeing children is getting younger.

The National Runaway Switchboard (NRS) reports that between 1.6 and 2.8 million children run away each year in the U.S. Many Americans are unaware of this growing trend because kids are not living in bushes or on sidewalks, but instead finding temporary residencies.

Nolt said there is a phenomenon called "Fridays at 4," where kids decide at the end of the school week that they are not returning home. Counselors at the youth service group said that many runaways stem from from domestic conflict, such as discipline issues, ill-received stepparents as well as verbal or physical abuse.

Nolt said the ultimate goal of her group is to return children to their homes, if the environment is deemed safe for living. If not, counselors hope to find a permanent shelter or foster home for teens so they can be raised in a stable environment.

The NRS reports that 72 percent of crisis callers are female.