Teenagers then and now essay

Today’s teenagers are no different—and they’re the first generation whose lives are saturated by mobile technology and social media. In her new book, psychologist Jean Twenge uses large-scale surveys to draw a detailed portrait of ten qualities that make today’s teens unique and the cultural forces shaping them.

Teenagers are persons whose age bracket falls between thirteen and nineteen years of age. It’s the age that is preceded by adolescence which is characterized by tremendous psychological and physical changes. Today, teenagers are conspicuously different from the teenagers of the early 2000s also known as millennials and those who came before them.

There are many similarities and differences between teens now vs the teens of the 70s and 80s. Every person in the world was once a teenager that did some dumb stuff. Most teenagers today will admit to some of their stupid actions.

Girls may be especially vulnerable, since they use social media more, report feeling left out more often than boys, and report twice the rate of cyberbullying as boys do. Social media is creating an “epidemic of anguish,” Twenge says. iGens grow up more slowly. iGens also appear more reluctant to grow up.