I think we need to be careful about claiming that kids have a choice about this. Most teenage kids are desperately looking for identity unconcsiously and often need to experience things before they can choose.

If they are feeling depressed (using their own definition, not ours) and find a group that accepts them for that, they would feel they have little choice in the matter.

I think it is far more disturbing that the media would then turn this into a fashion thing and an accepted mainstream position, rather than acknowledging that these are just kids with a certain view trying to find their way in the absence of proper adult mentoring, initiation ceremonies, manhood/womanhood rites and so on.