Jonathan Cristall - What They Dont Teach Teens: Life Safety Skills for Teens and the Adults Who Care for Them

Praise for What They Dont Teach Teens

What They Dont Teach Teens is deep, impactful, and clearly conveys information about sexual and interpersonal violence that no young person should be without.Patti Giggans, Executive Director, Peace Over Violence (formerly Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women)

What They Dont Teach Teens is a timely text that provides both parent and child alike with valuable information to identify and confront some of the most challenging teen issues of the day.Justin Patchin, PhD, Professor of criminal justice, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Co-Founder and Co-Director, Cyberbullying Research Center

This book is like a cookbook; you keep referring back to it when you need the details for a specific recipe (or here, a topic).Tamberley M., parent of 16-year-old twins

What They Dont Teach Teens is just bursting with compelling information about social media and the use of digital technologies that all young people coming of age today must know.Terry Evans, CEO, Cybersleuth Investigations, Inc. and fellow with the National Cybersecurity Institute at Excelsior College

Jonathan Cristalls background, experience, and writing style makes him relatable and gives his voice credibility that teens will listen to.Kami Kosenko, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Communication, North Carolina State University

What They Dont Teach Teens will help prevent sexual violence in relationships, friendships, peer groups, and communities.Connie J. Kirkland, MA, NCC, CTTS, Director of Sexual Assault Services, Northern Virginia Community College

A much better book than I thought it was going to be. I learned things that I thought I knew, but didnt really.Bryan J., 11th grader

What They Dont Teach Teens provides outstanding guidance on digital decision making and is written in a way to make it accessible to any person, of almost any age, who wisely chooses to pick it up.Jedidiah Bracy, Editorial Director, International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)

What They Dont Teach Teens is an essential tool for young people, parents, and guardians in navigating the rocky terrains of street and digital safety, and sexual violence.Bianca Fileborn, PhD, Lecturer in Criminology, University of Melbourne

What They Dont Teach Teens is a wonderful way for school administrators and school counselors to start meaningful conversations with students. A book like no other that schools (and parents) have been longing for.Ali Norman-Franks, Intervention Counselor, Beverly Hills High School

I received this book as assigned reading from my wife. I had some hesitation, but within minutes of starting to read I was hooked. As a dad, I appreciated how comprehensive the book is.Andy W., father to teens

Jonathan Cristall provides not only great insight for how to best interface with the police, but is candid about racial injustice.Dr. Cedric L. Alexander, Past National President of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, CNN Law Enforcement Analyst

Jonathan Cristalls book is designed to appeal directly to youthto help them make healthy and safe choices, even when interacting with the police.Elizabeth Englander, PhD, Executive Director and founder of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center at Bridgewater State University

What They Dont Teach Teens provides incredible guidance to young people on issues of contemporary importance like policing and sexual violence prevention. Jonathan Cristall does so in a way thats not only comprehensive and realistic, but sensitive to the diverse backgrounds of those who may read it.Capri Maddox, Esq., Executive Director, Los Angeles Department of Civil and Human Rights

Mr. Cristalls book exposes some of the most common methods perpetrators use to obtain child sexual abuse material by the exploitation of young people. His prevention techniques and tips are savvy, well explained, and will certainly keep tweens, teens, and young adults safer online and off.Glen Pounder, Chief Operating Officer, Child Rescue Coalition, Inc.

Easy to read, very informative, with priceless ideas of what to do and how to do it. It is a very helpful tool for parents like me and a great source of info that I can share with my teens.Whitney G., parent of two teens

What They Dont Teach Teens

Life Safety Skills for Teens and the Adults Who Care for Them

Jonathan Cristall, Esq.

Fresno, California

What They Dont Teach Teens

Copyright 2020 by Jonathan Cristall. All rights reserved.

Interior design by Carla Green, Clarity Designworks.

Illustrations by Bintang Suhadiyono.

Cover design by @difrats.

Published by Quill Driver Books,
an imprint of Linden Publishing

2006 South Mary Street, Fresno, California 93721
(559) 233-6633 / (800) 345-4447

QuillDriverBooks.com

Quill Driver Books and Colophon are trademarks of Linden Publishing, Inc.

Linden Publishing titles may be purchased in quantity at special discounts for educational, business, or promotional use. To inquire about discount pricing, please refer to the contact information above. For permission to use any portion of this book for academic purposes, please contact the Copyright Clearance Center at www.copyright.com.

ISBN 978-1610353-58-8

135798642

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file.

Contents

To my wonderful wife Lisa, for building a life with me that I thought only existed in dreams.

To my sons, J, E, and B, who, in each of your own ways, have taught me more about life and love than I ever could have imagined.

Preface for Teens and All Young People

I wrote this book for my three sonstwo of them teenagersso they can better understand what is expected of them as they transition from our home to the outside world. For them, and everyone coming of age today, there are new risks, expectations, and laws that didnt exist for previous generations.

Lets face itgoing through adolescence has never been easy. But it can be more challenging today if you dont completely understand the ways a damaged digital footprint can alter your life; the statements or actions that amount to sexual harassment; the potentially severe consequences of underage sexting; the point a sexual interaction goes too far; the safest way to pull over when stopped by the police; and so much more.

While the subject matter in this book is serious and at times unsettling, my objective is not to scare you. To the contrary, I hope that understanding the fact-based information herein will bring you a sense of calm knowing that youre better prepared to handle the unexpected.

What to Know About Me

The most important things to know about me start with what I hold most dear: my wife, Lisa, and our three terrific sons.

I have the second-best job in the world as a veteran prosecutor for the City of Los Angeles. For many years, Ive had the good fortune to supervise a team of prosecutors and support staff who work with great dedication to improve public safety throughout Los Angeles. (In case youre wondering, the best job to me would be playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.)

Im also a trained and certified sexual violence prevention instructor at a large nonprofit in Los Angeles called Peace Over Violencean organization you may know of from their annual, worldwide Denim Day event protesting sexual violence. For many years, this organization has performed impactful work in the greater Los Angeles area and far beyond, providing resources for victim-survivors of sexual violence. I am donating a portion of my book profits to Peace Over Violence because, unfortunately, they have way too much work to do.