Teenagers: Now and Then
It is a frustrating reality that the new generation of teenagers are so… how
would you describe them anyway? Well, I am still 17 but I feel like I am
already 40 in terms of the gap between my era and the new blossoming
generation of teens.
Sex. Drugs. Money. Rebellion. All of these are the things that the usual
modern teenager copes with. Seriously speaking, there is a huge difference
of the teenagers now and then. From their language to fashion and even to
the way they think. I am not sure if technology is the one who should take
the blame or not but one thing is for sure: it affected them.
Back in my early years, I grew up playing outdoor games. Traditional
ones. Piko (hopscotch), Patintero, Batuhang Bola (dodge ball) and so
many more. The only available game created by technology were
Gameboys and if you happened to have one, you were definitely famous
and rich. Kind of funny actually. But I miss those years.
Now, look outside. Most children are indoors playing computer games,
PSP, Playstation, etc. They are so unlucky - they are unable to know how
it feels to be dirty, covered in sweat, your heart bouncing with laughter
and happiness - and just being a kid.
I can even remember those times when my mom would scold me because
I was covered with dirt and I smelled gross but that’s just how a kid plays.
I think it is an essential part of growing up.
With the latest innovations in society, we should be grateful to technology
that it has made our lives easier than before. But it has also taken away the
innocence of our childhood. Pornography is just one click away. And if
you would look at the programs on the televisions, they all relate to one
theme: love. Love for lust, money and power. You can see teenagers
having their crushes which is in fact normal, but their actions are too, well,
mature. It is crazy. It leads to sex, teen pregnancy, drug addiction, suicide,
poor self-image. All of these are the results of these programs and
technology that have shaped the minds of the new generation of teenagers.
Sadly, it has molded them in the wrong way.
Technology has by far brought out the best in us. Let us not allow it to
bring out the worst.
Here’s an infographic from BestEducationDegrees.com that shows us what teens were like back in 1982, and how
today’s teens (2012) compare:
<a href="http://www.besteducationdegrees.com/high-school-kids/"><img
src="http://www.besteducationdegrees.com/high-school-kids/then-vs-now.jpg" alt="Then vs Now: How Things Have
Changed from 1982 to 2012"
Then vs. Now: How things have changed from 1982-2012
Those kids today... you may be the parent of a teenager and wondering what you've gotten yourself into. But do
you have it worse than parents of the past? We all know that kids will be kids, but how much do they change
over the course of a generation?
The typical teenager in the early 1980s was rocking a Walkman and had just seen E.T. Today's average kid? He
has a cellphone in his pocket, he listens to Rihanna, he's less likely to finish high school and he's more likely to
practice safe sex.
Music
1982: Olivia Newton-John, Survivor, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
2012: Adele, Rihanna, Katy Perry
Movies
1982: Fast Times at Ridgemont High, E.T.
2012: Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2
Video Games
1982: Coleco Vision, Atari
2012: PS3, Wii, Xbox 360
Sports Stars
1982: Pete Rose
2012: LeBron James
Work Money
1982: $60.30 per week
2012: $130.00 per week
Cell Phones
1982: What?
2012: 3 out of every 4 teens has a cellphone
Marijuana Use
1982: 30% of teens
2012: 20% of teens
Career Aspirations
1982: Engineering, Biology, Business Management, Physical Sciences, Agriculture and natural resources
2012: Healthcare, Business, Education, Social Sciences, Visual & Performing Arts
Driving
1982: 52% of kids 15-17 had their driver's license
2012: 43% of kids 15-17 had their driver's license
SAT Scores
1982: 997
2012: 1,011
Graduation Rate
1982: 77.5% of high school students graduated
2012: 72% of high school students graduated
Diversity
1982: 79% white, 11.6% black, 6.3% hispanic, 1.3% Asian
2012: 54% white, 21.5% hispanic, 17% black, 5% Asian, 1.2% Native Americans
College Plans
1982: 58.3% go to college, 35.4% work full time, 6.3% other
2012: 79.2% go to college, 18.7% work full time, 2.1% other
Top Foreign Languages
1982: 18% Spanish, 9.2% French, 2.5% German
2012: 30% Spanish, 8% French, 2.1% German
Sex and Safety
1982: 55% of kids use contraception during their first sexual experience
2012: 81.5% of kids use contraception during their first sexual experience
From: BestEducationDegrees.com
Note the correlation between a more than doubling of students enrolled in Spanish courses, and a more than tripling
of the hispanic population in the country. We’ll all be speaking some degree of Spanish by 2040, probably. It’s
interesting, too, that 21% more teens are gearing up for college, and SAT scores are (nominally) higher, but high
school graduation rates have actually declined.
At least working teens have doubled their earnings. Or have they? Adjusted for inflation, teens are making about five
dollars less a week than they were thirty years ago.
Despite all the changes, one thing will always be true of teens. They’ll always have deep, complicated emotions —
“that nobody in the world can understand.” Especially you, Mom and Dad.
Teens Today vs. Previous Generations
By Denise Witmer November 14, 2008
A new forum member asks: "I am only 21 years old and am not a parent; however, I am going to be student
teaching adolescents very soon. Maybe you all could help answer/debate a few questions of mine. First of all, how do
you view teens today? Do you think it is more or less stressful growing up in today's world as a teenager than it would
have been perhaps 20 or 30 years ago? I'm curious to find out why or why not."
Denise's thoughts: Very interesting question. I've enjoyed reading the responses on the forum and I'm looking
forward to the responses we get here in the comments area. I thought I might go off on a tangent and talk a bit about
how much parents have changed in that time period too. While the younger generation may not see it this way,
generationally, parents get smarter. Today's teen is facing the 'been there, done that' parent. We not only read what
to expect when we were anticipating our children, we acted on the good advice. We take advantage of places to talk
and get help, like this forum. Previous generations of parents didn't have that.
Asking our parenting community: What are your thoughts? How have teens changed since the 80's? What are the
changes you see in parenting during that time frame? Please share your opinions, anecdotes and stories in the
comments area.
(1) KFCM says:
I am a single parent of a daughter, 16, and a teacher of 8th graders (with 29 years of experience) so I
definitely see both sides of teens – then and now.
1) Teens from earlier generations did not have the “instant” communication that this generation has because
of text messaging. Therefore, the dramas that were happening were not instantaneously broadcast to all the
world; they had to wait to at least get to a phone and usually by that time, the heat of the drama had died
down – not so with IM – it feeds the flame!!!!!
2) Also, more kids today are growing up in single parent homes, and usually the parents are not living in the
same town – mobile society – it is hard to deal with the long distance (or often absent) parenting.
3) Lastly, teens today are bombarded by a very explicit sexual media – TV, movies, music – 90% of what they
see and listen to today would not have been allowed to be on prime time or public radio – most of the
messages are not helpful in teaching them good morals and values.
(2) Jean says:
When I was a teenager (late sixties through early seventies) the world was exploding with new ideas, and BIG
TEMPTATIONS, for us kids. Luckily, I had a mother who was unlike my friends’ June Cleaver clones. She
warned all four of her daughters of the “temptations” out there, but said it was up to us to choose between
instant pleasure now, or a great career that would take training and holding off on other things for later. All
six of her children turned out just fine!
In many ways, today’s kids are much more sophisticated than when I was a teen. They are certainly more
articulate, at least vocally, and more importantly, not afraid to speak up for themselves. MY parents were
“depression era,” and we were told never to answer back. I have the strange situation of having had my only
child, a beautiful 13-year-old girl, when I was forty, so she has to deal with having a Boomer Parent while all
her friends’ parents are young enough to be HER parents’ kids! Yes, she HATES the Beatles!
Adele! so it isn’t so bad.
but I LOVE
I think it is true that the parents do get smarter. Boomer parents like me were FAR better educated than their
parents, except MY parents were not the norm from my peers, either. My generation’s biggest fault was trying
to be FRIENDS with their kids first, then parents. I think that is changing.
What blows me away about today’s teens is that they know a lot more a lot sooner than any other generation
on earth, thanks to the dizzying increase in computer technology, iPods, text messaging, etc. None of that
existed for a kid like me born in 1955 or even today’s kids’ parents born in, say, the late 70s.
The PROBLEM is, it’s all about instant gratification now. I also worry about the reality shows that put too much
emphasis on having perfect bodies for both girls AND boys.
My final thought: I adore ALL of my daughter’s friends, and am very excited to see them grow up. They have
a lot to say and, best of all, they really care about current affairs and the fate of the world.
(3) Sean McCathy says:
I work regularly with adolescents and their families and I believe that as society changes so do the teens of
that time. Yes, I think it can be a more stressful time to be a teen now. Especially if those teens do not have a
strong support network. It is essential for kids to learn critical problem solving skills much earlier these days.
There are way more decisions to be made on a daily basis and often parents are not around as much today to
help with those decisions. The world today is a faster moving world. A 24 hour, constant supply of information
and influence, that teens are often plugged into better than their parents. If teens are not taught how to
process, filter, and make educated decisions on all this information it can be very stressful, and potentially
dangerous.
Now as I stated at the beginning, students today are highly adaptable. They are technologically savvy. They
can quickly find the answers. Teens today present as more balanced; they do a better job seeing the whole
picture. The area that I see the biggest disconnect is in emotional management. As they mature and present
being balanced I question whether teens today have connected with their emotions and have been modeled to
deal with their emotions in a healthy way. And as many adults can attest, a large source of stress is dealing
with our emotions. I see many teens who make decisions without understanding or considering the emotional
consequences of their actions. This concept seems to be the biggest concern I have between teens now and
teens of 20 years ago.
(4) Carol says:
One thing that has not been mentioned in the above is work ethic. I work in a high school transition program
and find that when it comes to “school work” students seem to know what is expected. However, many are
clueless when it comes to expected behaviors at a job site. They do not seem to think it is a problem to listen
to “only one” earphone from their ipod. Many do not realize that when an assigned task is completed, it is
NOT time to just visit with fellow employees or speak on a personal phone call for 40 minutes. They do not
think to “look” for something on their own that needs attending – that they should always “look” busy (even
when it is REALLY slow). The only way I seem to get students to actually understand that one very basic job
skill is to remind them that the boss does not need to pay someone to do NOTHING. When I was a teen (late
60s – early 70s) we all had responsibilities (jobs) in our home and were expected to do these tasks on our
own, without reminding, as our contribution to the family unit – no payment or allowance. I think that our
youth today are involved in so many extracurricular activities that many teens have never had a
“responsibility” (besides keeping their room clean) in the home and therefore have not had the opportunity to
learn the very basic of job skills. Unfortunately this does hurt them when it comes to performance evaluations,
promotions and retaining early paying positions. Sometimes I feel that by trying to help our children “get
ahead” and have the best opportunities in their futures we (yes I am including myself)actually harm them by
giving them too many things and not allowing them to earn those things and learn through their experiences
while young and consequently they expect people to “hand” them what they are seeking (instant gratification)
and really do not understand the work ethic needed to accomplish their desired goal or the gratification of
struggling and then obtaining it. If we were only a perfect world!
(5) Ann says:
Another thing to consider is the rise in the number of kids who have been diagnosed with behavioral or
learning disorders. The following article from The Stuart News, http://www.tcpalm.com is a scary one: Boy
allegedly hits mom with saw, offers her $5
Nov 14, 9:06 PM (ET)
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) – Authorities say an 11-year-old boy hit his mother in the head with a saw and then
offered her $5 not to call police. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office reported that the boy and his 41-yearold mother got into an argument Wednesday when she was trying to get him to take his medication.
The boy left and went to another home, where he began hitting a tree with a saw. When the mother finally
caught up with the boy, authorities say he hit her in the head with the saw, causing a minor laceration. A
sheriff’s report said that’s when the boy began pleading with his mother not to call police and offered her a $5
bill.
The boy is facing an aggravated battery charge.
(6) Susan says:
It seems to me that teens growing up today are much different in many ways than when I grew up.
Both good and bad.
I think they are encouraged more to pursue their interests. However, it seems like the high school
requirements are tougher than when I was in high school. There is a lot more expected of them in what they
have to accomplish. They do have more of a selection when it comes to courses.
I do feel kids have a lot more as far as material things than when I was growing up.
I don’t know if this is because of all the technology?
I am against them having so much. Kids now have their own TV’s when they are 12 or so.
If kids grow up with so much–what sort of message is this for when they are adults?