Published on 12, July, 2020
I found this article really interesting.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220124-why-teens-arent-what-they-used-to-be
When my mum was 14 she had to go out to work full time.
When I was 14 I had a Sunday job as a waitress.
When my sister was 16 she was married with a baby.
I only realised recently that she couldn't have done that now - even with parental consent - she would have to have been 18.
'In tougher times in history, teens were forced to take a "fast life strategy", growing up faster, reproducing earlier and focusing on basic needs. Now life in the West is generally more forgiving, and families are wealthier – at least on average – so it's possible for teens to take a "slow life strategy", delaying the transition to more adult behaviours.'....
....'There's little doubt that technology and the internet has played a major role, meaning more interaction with peers happens online and in the home, where sex, experimentation and trouble are perhaps less likely.'
I've been chatting to an online friend who is much younger than me and it's put a lot of these ideas into context.
When I was 16 I considered myself to be an adult - I drank alcohol and smoked by that age.
The school leaving age was 16.
Now you can't leave at 16 and go to work:
https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/01/11/school-leaving-age-can-you-leave-school-at-16-and-what-are-your-options/
So, those of us of 'a certain age' need to bear all this in mind whilst in discussions with teenagers, and even, according to this article, people in their early 20s.
I agree with you.
The new young generation isn't in any way like we used to be. I am 50 and looking at how teenagers behave and live their daily lives I would not have gotten away with even a tenth of it. Popular science speaks of the divergence between Generation X (those born between around 1965 and 1980) and Generation Z (born between 1995 and 2015).
As Gen X children, respect towards others, and primarily adults (stranger or not), was not a personal choice. You listened to the listen, to heeded criticism by strangers on the street. If you stayed at a friend's place, you did as your friend's mother said like she was your own mother. Talking back to an elder was considered a crime worthy of punishment. There were rules! And if you broke them you got punished. Goodies were taken away, parties were cancelled, you got grounded, in worst case you got a slap. Not a beating, a slap. Our dinner had two options - take it or leave it. If you refused to eat your meal, you knew what you'd be having for your next one. You shared a television and your parents controlled the remote. If you wanted something you had to earn it by good behaviour and helping out in the house, or you looked for a Sunday job. You dressed appropriately when you went out, even if it was to the shops. You did not treat every place like a playground or as your own. You actually used your eyes to give way to people and keep yourself out of danger.
Today, Generation Z and Alpha kids are chalk and cheese. They grew and grow up on entitlement. People need to get out of their way. If they don't get what they want they get mental health issues, and their parents are abusers. If they have bad grades then it's the teachers' fault. They feel equal to elders, even superior because they can master Social Media and AI and they cannot. They don't need to heed advice because TikTok knows better. They can be physically abusive to adults because they know as children they cannot get prosecuted. If you even think of touching them, they will tell their friends until someone feels it's cool to be a whistleblower to call Social Services on you. They live most of their time in a world of digital anonymity that gets the meanest out of them. Kids are not protected, they are overprotected. So much, that in my opinion, they need to be protected from themselves.