Real-Life 'Twilight' Saga: Teens Sucking Each Other's Blood

by Mary Beth Sammons (Subscribe to Mary Beth Sammons's posts)
Sep 27th 2010 4:24PM

Filed under: News, In The News, Weird But True, Teen Culture, Health & Safety: Teens, Behavior: Teens, New In Pop Culture

Bella and Edward wannabe couples are all about love bites. Credit: Karunpillai, Summit Entertainment

American teens are sinking their teeth into each other's necks, literally.

Inspired by the "Twilight" series and heartthrob vampire Edward Cullen's chilly charms, teens are taking their love nips a little too far, MSNBC reports, biting each other -- hard -- and then licking the blood.

Bizarre teen behavior has horrified parents for generations, but health officials and other experts are warning this vampire-inspired Count Dracula fad could have serious consequences.

"These are kids who think they are real vampires," Dr. Orly Avitzur, the medical advisor to Consumers Union, the agency that publishes Consumer Reports magazine, tells MSNBC.

And many teens are getting their blood-sucking fix on the Internet, Avitzur says, noting that sessions spent trolling vampire-related teen websites are on the rise. Groups such as "I drink blood," a category at experienceproject.com, and "I want to be a vampire" at the site 43things.com, are filled with apparent posts from young people with a yearning for hemoglobin.

"Having that thick, warm copper-tasting blood in my mouth is the best thing I can think of!" writes a teenager identified as "GothicGirl10" on MSNBC. "Sometimes my boyfriend lets me feed off him. I let him feed off me as well."

Such talk alarms medical experts, who warn about the dangers of blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis and HIV, as well as the risk of nasty infections. Typically, 10-15 percent of human bite wounds become infected, MSNBC reports.

"If you break the skin, your mouth is pretty dirty," Dr. Thomas Abshire, a pediatric blood and cancer specialist and spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics, tells MSNBC. "The human mouth flora is dirtier than a dog or cat's."

Also concerning is the fact that this biting is often done to brand another person, experts say.

"If you think about it, there is such glamorization in those teen vampire movies, they make it seem so sexy and appealing and intriguing," Avitzur says. "It's all mixed up with passion."

ReaderComments (Page 4 of 5)

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9-28-2010 @ 1:35PM

JS said...

First off does anyone realize that one of dirtiest places on the human body is the mouth?
As for Hollywood being a reflection on society? Get real. It is the reflection of a few sick and depraved individuals who want to make money off of a sad public who think their lives need some sick entertainment.
The parents who are concerned should have been setting up some moral boundaries a long time ago. When people ask if I wished I was in my teens or twenties now, I tell them "No way!" It was a lot safer back when I was that age, we actually had to use our brains to be entertained. And our parents were allowed to parent us.

9-28-2010 @ 1:37PM

mazzy said...

The part of the brain that knows the dangerous and harmful out comes of bizarre behaviors hasn't matured in teenagers yet and the devil takes advantage of them. Blood diseases will be a real threat to them. They aren't drawing a line between a movie and reality yet. They walk a thin line to the Hospital.

9-28-2010 @ 1:38PM

whocares said...

"noting that sessions spent trolling vampire-related teen websites are on the rise"

When I read that I thought it was talking about being an internet troll haha

9-28-2010 @ 1:39PM

nhereigns said...

It goes to show that parents have lost connection with their kids. Family experts advise that a family meal a day, having a meal together can bring closeness to each family members. I find this true for us, my husband and I both work and we make it a point to have a family meal together as a family. It is during this time that our children open up what's going on with them and their friends. I learned this in psychology: PPT, P-people, P-places, and T-things. People you hang out with, places you go, things you see, listen to and do eventually becomes a part of you. Parents needs to get back into navigating their children's life and making sure that they are not fed with illusions and informations that are harmful to them

Carole said...

EEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! all these people should work in a labratory where blood is tested and peered at through microscopes and plated in auger to see what grows from it and then think about drinking or as in this case sucking out blood from anybody...I think this supposedly glamorous, sexy occupation would be quickly short lived...I would advise these sick people to restrict their blood drinking/eating to rare beef/buffalo steaks from the grill...That should fix their thirst...ugh!

Ana said...

Well, if it really does "scare parents into keeping a closer eye on their kids" than the "conspiracy" has served a greater good. Parents do need to be more involved in their kids' lives. Teens have far too much free reign and parents need to invest more in them and let them know, not that they're "watching", but that they care.
And I still say the blame lies, not with the parents, but with people, young or old, doing this.

9-28-2010 @ 1:44PM

Gia said...

Who are these loser kids? Don't they have anything better to do than drink blood in a pathetic attempt to be part of what they saw in a movie? UGH TOTALLY LAME! Get a hobby, play video games, go ride bikes, do art projects, make some music.. but for crying out loud... DO NOT DRINK BLOOD. Maybe once they get a raging case of Hep C or Mono they'll think twice about ever doing something stupid like that again..

9-28-2010 @ 1:47PM

dan said...

Sorry, but these kids, and the ones that hang themselves
for fu- should all leave the earth- do us a favor-
bad stupid morons and empty shells of humans
-offspring of stupid irresponsible parents
-the world is filed with too many useless dumb idiots
let them leave

9-28-2010 @ 1:49PM

matt said...

whats the big deal? let the idiots wipe themselves out

9-28-2010 @ 1:48PM

Tyler said...

Oh brotherrrrr!! It's no surprise that kids think they know it all when they're dumber than dirt.

RalphMiller said...

Just another way to weed out the stupid people in society.

9-28-2010 @ 1:51PM

NY said...

Is this where the future of America is going? It's scary.

9-28-2010 @ 1:52PM

Jim said...

What's most disturbing about this is the very real possibility of spreading some serious blood-borne pathogens, primarily HIV and Hepatitis, but many others abound as well, with a shrinking arsenal of effective anitbiotics, anti-virals, and anti-retrovirals happening at the same time. THAT is perhaps the scariest part of this, at least to me. To Elijah: You said what I've been saying all along about this subject. There is a young guy I see in the nightclubs around here from time to time who wears the weird contact lenses, sits perched upon his bar stool as though ready to pounce or take flight, like a bat, and brags about his immortality and blood drinking. The latter part actually makes me sick to my stomach, but this guy really does believe this fantasy he lives in, complete with sleeping all day in a coffin and working a part-time job--at night, of course. But you're absolutely correct in your assessment of this subject matter.

9-28-2010 @ 1:55PM

Ginger Brannen said...

Another phase that labels today's teens. Even the Middle School teachers have no problems with the kids reading the Twilight series. I use to watch "Dark Shadows" faithfully as a teen but it did not make me want to become a vampire. It is such a dangerous phase and I hope it is only a phase. God Watch and Bless our teens!!!!!!

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