Four Trends You Should Know About

February 2006

Being a teenager in this generation is completely different than when you were a kid. It seems like the world is changing, and it is imperative as a parent that you don’t get left behind. Being aware of the world will help you understand what your teen is up to. Here are four trends you should be aware of.

1. Stress

Today’s teens are stressed out. Their days are filled with school, work, college pressures, advanced placement courses in high school, and being overscheduled. The stereotype that Generation Y is full of slackers, is a misconception.

2. Hyper-Sexualization

Mini-skirts in schools, guys taking Creatine to get bulked up for sports, Real World MTV hook ups with young adults sleeping with strangers in each episode, online dating sites and Internet porn is constantly being flashed in their faces. Teens are trying to act older, while older people are trying to act younger. So you’ve got kids trying to be adults, and adults (Baby Boomers in particular) trying to be kids; this confusing dynamic leaves children confused about who is the role model. If you don’t provide one, they will find their own.

3. Friends Equal Family

Today’s teens value their circle of friends as their secondary family. They are far more group oriented than Gen Xers. Even if you think about Sesame Street, the show Xers grew up with (“We’re all unique and different”) compared to Barney, the show Gen Y grew up with (“Everybody is equal—We’re all the same.”) Gen Y tends to be more conformist than X’ers and Boomers were in their youth.

4. Traditional Family Redefined

Many teens report very close relationships with their parents. Parents are becoming more like a friend than a parent in some cases. Gen Y typically cites their mom or dad as their role models—rather than celebrities of years past. Also, the family unit itself has changed; there are more single dads or moms, and stay at home dads, gay parents, parents who are dating, adopted siblings, etc.

These societal trends are affecting the way your teen thinks and acts. Being aware of these issues will help you confront them in the future.

Source

  • Ben Grill, Sachs Insights
Creative Commons License

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License.