When children are young, their world is their family and parents.

What happened to hard work?

A new survey conducted by Junior Achievement found 38 percent of teenagers in the United States believe it is sometimes necessary to cheat, plagiarize, lie or use violence to succeed.

Twenty-four percent said it’s okay to cheat on a test, while 25 percent said violence toward someone else is acceptable on some level. When asked if they felt ethically ready for the workplace, 71 percent of teens felt they were. But when asked to compare their ethics with those of today’s professional adults, teens ranked their peer group poorly.

When children are young, their world is their family and parents. This is the time when children learn early morals and behavior. But when they become adolescents, their world becomes much broader -- especially with modern technology -- to include the media, peers and our culture. While parents continue to be important, they are no longer the only influence.

What’s perhaps more concerning is the bad behavior teens are getting from the classroom. Reports call cheating among teachers epidemic in America’s schools, with cases arising across the country -- from allowing students to view test questions before the exam to one of the worst cases in Uniondale, N.Y., where hundreds of standardized tests were changed after they were handed in.

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	Smart Living More teenagers in the United States believe it is sometimes necessary to cheat and act unethical to get ahead.

Child psychologist Wendy Rice, from Tampa, Fla., said it’s important for parents to be aware of the outside messages their children are getting, whether it’s from television, the movies or music.

Even the news is filled with headlines of celebrities, politicians and athletes breaking the rules to get ahead or have more fun. When you know the messages your child is getting that may be influencing their morals and behavior, Rice said you are in a better position to talk to your teen about them and even put your two cents in.

“The best thing you can do is just listen,” Rice said. “Try not to have a judgmental look on your face and try not to say, ‘Oh, I would never do that!’ or ‘How can you think that?’ ”

And remember be aware of the examples you’re setting for your children, especially when it comes to tax time, alcohol use and when you are angry.