'19 Kids & Counting' Finale: One Duggar Moving Away
'Don't Be Tardy': Kim Wants To Have More Kids
Real-Life 'Twilight' Saga: Teens Sucking Each Other's Blood
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
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."
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
Blood Tests Help Diagnose Teen Depression
Northwestern University researchers say they found depression indicators in blood tests of teens.
-
Chris Brown Directs Video Featuring Woman Covered in Blood
Chris Brown directed a video for a rock band, named U.G.L.Y., which he signed on to his label. The vid features 2009 Miss Teen USA Stormi Henley. Chris Instagrammed a few pictures from the shoot. The most creepy one showed Stormi on a covered in fake blood, with the caption "All I see is RED"! Another controversial photo showed the woman in a white gown and covered in fake blood again. This time, the red goop is over the floor too.
-
Energy Drinks Pose Health Risks For Teens
A new report warns that popular energy drinks such as Red Bull and Rockstar pose potential hazards to teens, especially when mixed with alcohol.
The report, published in the February issue of the journal Pediatrics in Review, summarizes existing research and concludes that the caffeine-laden beverages can cause rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, obesity and other medical problems in teens. Combined with alcohol, the potential harms can be severe, the authors noted.
-
Health Department Looking To Ban Energy Drinks For Teens
The Health Department has recommended not selling energy drinks to teens. They say the caffeinated drinks can cause rapid heart beats high blood pressure.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 5 of 5)
9-28-2010 @ 2:09PM
theripper1967 said...This is exactly what they get for making so called horror movies more mainstream. I hate Twilight and some others, also that god aweful remake of Prom Night where you don't see a single kill except in shadows. Leave the real films vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc to the real horror directors like Romero, Savini, and Raimi...FFS Maybe kids wouldnt be doing this if they werent trying to make horror movies into more teeny bopper, PG 13 garbage!!!!
Reply
9-28-2010 @ 2:15PM
Steph said...These teens need professional help. Sucking each other's blood puts these teens at risk for all kinds of diseases, hepatitis and AIDS among them. It is a sick, twisted trend that needs to be stopped.
Reply
9-28-2010 @ 2:22PM
Jude said...I don't know why anyone is surprised or shocked by this. It was so predictable. As soon as I saw the first vampire book, I thought, so this will be the next teenage fad.
Reply
9-28-2010 @ 2:24PM
T-Dogg said...Is it just me, or are kids these days just getting dumber and dumber. It scares to me to think of the type of people we are leaving this world to. Sometimes I hope I don't make it to old age.
Reply
9-28-2010 @ 2:32PM
swampbabe said...And to capitalize on all the madness REVLON has come out with a campaign for a lipgloss called ONCE BITTEN or some nonsense, in which the spokesmodel asks seductively at the end of the add... "Have you ever been bitten?" Completely shameless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When I saw it, I went through my bathroom and threw everything made by Revlon in the trash and will NOT be buying anything made by them. It is horrible exploitation. Shame on Revlon. And shame on parents who are not involved enough to know what thier kids are up to!
Reply
9-28-2010 @ 2:36PM
Social Justice said...Man, parents just don't understand!
Reply
9-28-2010 @ 4:11PM
Dana said...For anyone who has read Twilight, the main vampires do not actually bite anyone. However, the Sookie Stackhouse books, (True Blood HBO Series) they do. The big climax in sex for the vampires in these books is "nipping" and taking a sip. I personally like both series of books, but I'm also in my 30's. Teenagers should not be reading those books or watching True Blood.
Reply
9-29-2010 @ 11:18PM
crissyleigh8 said...Okay sorry to says...But vampires have been around a lot longer then "twilight"
Reply
9-28-2010 @ 2:57PM
richard nicoletti said...Kids will do anything for attention from their peers. Regret comes later when it's time to face the consequences. My question is: When are the producers of these irresponsible tv shows going to pay the debt? The answer is "never", as long as they have the ACLU backing them spewing their "freedom of speech" crap. We need limitations because we are out of control.
Reply
9-28-2010 @ 3:07PM
Monkeycheez52 said...Geeeez, and I thought tatoos were crazy....
Reply
9-28-2010 @ 3:19PM
db47x11 said...Anyone who does this had better beware that it can spread aids , syphilis, Hepatitis a,b,c or d. All can kill or worse not kill and incapacitate you for life, and shorten that life as well. So Be stupid , it is fun for now, until it casuse youto be terminal in 1 year ot worse twenty , ask Pamela Anderson, she is dying from liver failure slowly.
Reply
9-28-2010 @ 3:22PM
Bonnie said...HELLO! IS THERE ANYONE HOME IN THEIR HEADS! ARE THE LIGHTS ON?
Not only is this disgusting (to say the least) has anyone of these "idiot teens" ever heard of blood transferred diseases? Like Hepatitis, HIV, AIDS, and I could go on with plenty more. Hey kids! NEWSFLASH! IT AIN'T COOL DUDES!
When I was a kid (and that's been a long time ago), the neatest,coolest thing was becoming blood brothers and sisters. Pricking your finger, each one, and pressing them together, but WE back then didn't have knowledge of all the blood transmitted diseases that you kids have now, and I find it appalling, that with all the News media, and whatever else you kids have now about these diseases, that you would still take a chance. I'm sure that some kids in my era probably came down with something, but never connected the "why" factor.
It's time to "get a life" and keep on LIVING! Life is so precious, and to do something so STUPID", tells me you don't care about your life or your partners. So why not just know... the whole "Vampire" fantasy is just that, a FANTASY! Like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Beauty and the Beast...hey, there's a ROMANTIC one for ya.
Turn on the lightbulb in those young heads of yours and stop NOW (if it's not too late) and LIVE LIFE!
You kids have so much more FUN entertainment than I ever did when I was a teen. Are you bored already! WOW! Then I guess it's time you kids to get your BRAINS in full throddle and come up with another "something" that may make you $millions$. Quit being followers and be LEADERS, Invent something NEW that may be great for all of us...HUMANS!!!!!!!!!
Reply
9-28-2010 @ 3:39PM
EH said...I hope they get aids.
Reply
9-28-2010 @ 3:50PM
leon said...When I went to school it was called a hickey.
Reply
9-28-2010 @ 4:08PM
Twighlight sux said...Twighlight sux
Reply
9-28-2010 @ 5:36PM
basketball4life said...not all teenagers are stupid. I think, as a teenager, that this is just as stupid as all of the adults here do, and personally i hate the whole vampire fetish thing. Some of these kids need serious help.
Reply
9-29-2010 @ 11:20PM
crissyleigh8 said...Adults do it just as well as teenagers.
Reply
4-14-2011 @ 11:15PM
christian louboutin slingback said...Good article worth sharing
Reply