Teens Today Live in A Whole New World

I hear many parents complain about how their teens are acting. They comment often that we never did this when we were teenagers. They look at what their teens are doing and they can’t believe how their teens think and act.

What parents fail to remember is the world has significantly changed since the year 2000. What we did as teenagers is very different from what the teenagers of today deal with on a daily basis.

Teenagers today have grown up with access to cell phones, computers and the Internet. They are use to getting things right away. Teens today have never seen a typewriter and have never had to go to a library to do research and now they read books on line. They are attached to their cell phones and notebooks or IPads etc.

If you look around you see them texting each other all the time no one calls anyone the text everyone. All the time. While they are having dinner, talking to someone, walking down the street, driving and even at the movies.

Teens today no longer really no how to talk to each other or how to talk with their parents. They can’t understand why we can’t relate to their world. When I tell them when I was a senior in high school I had a cellphone but it was mounted in the car and you could not take it out. They can’t believe it.

Besides the rapid change in technology, there has been a change in issues teens have to face. Cyber bullying is a major one. The number of teens that have committed suicide due to cyber bullying has increased significantly. Also teens now deal with designer drugs which can kill someone the first time someone tries it. Sexting has become a major issue. Research shows that most kids start sexting in the 8th grade and by college it’s an everyday occurrence.

Our society has not caught up with all these ethical issues. Parents don’t know what to say and teenagers don’t know what to ask. Parents try to monitor their teens but the teens know how to hide what they do.

The other major change is the cost of living. This generation is the first one that will do worse than their parents. At the same time there is a big pressure to be a success and make a lot of money. Teenagers are taking caffeine pills and medicine for ADHD so they have the energy to study. They are concerned about their grades. Their main focus is how much money they will make as an adult. They don’t even think about if they will be happy with their job. They only think about money and what they can buy.

So if you look at all the changes that have occurred since 2000, it is not surprising that teenagers act the way they do. Also parents have not been able to really educate them because ethically we are all behind and need to catch up to these changes.

Parents remember this fact and start to research what is popular with teenagers and learn how to talk to your teens. Also try to approach your teens about these issues because teenagers hardly ever talk first. The conversation may be awkward at first because no one knows how to talk about these issues. Overall try to be patient, remember all the changes that have occurred since 2000 and that our society is still trying to figure out all of these changes. So of course teenagers are going to be confused.

Dr Michael Rubino is an expert working with teenagers and their parents and has over 18 years experience. To learn more about his work and private practice visit his website at www.rcs-ca.com