Do you believe in "teenager"?

Question

Only in the western cultures is there this division between youth and adult, called the teenage years. In many other cultures these teenagers would be supporting themselves already, if not a family. Do you think it is valuble to give people this time as teenagers? What is your opinion on how it affects our society?

Answer 1

It's not a question of believing. It's simply an age where their physical development has advanced past adolescence, but they are far from self-sufficient.

In the west (and more advanced areas of the east, for example the cities of Japan and China) the workforces are now knowledge and information-based, so it takes longer for children to be educated and trained sufficiently to be responsible, productive members. Many adults is western nations can no longer find jobs, simply because their level of education isn't high enough.

In simpler agricultural and industrial societies, if they're strong enough for manual labor they're ready to work. That simply is no longer true outside of the 3rd world. It's much more complicated now than 50-60 years ago.

Assuming they can even GET a job, the average 13-year old in Germany, London, Tokyo or New York can't make enough to support themselves, let alone a family.

With the exodus of manufacturing, call center and similar jobs to countries where labor is cheaper (India/Phillipines etc), the need to keep these young people out of competition with the rest of the workforce (and prepare them for careers) is only increasing.

Answer 2

The words are interchangeable. Definitions of what constitutes a youth/teenager/adolescent/ vary, but generally speaking its an individual between childhood and adulthood, undergoing certain physiological changes (puberty). "Teenager" is a bit more strictly defined to somebody between the ages of 13-19.

I think the development of adolescents is dependent on the society in which you live in. Adolescents in different societies face different responsibilities.

Our society places a strong emphasis on the idea that adolescents are less mature than adults, and as such cannot be held as responsible for their actions (notable in America's laws which protect adolescents from particular punishments and severe sentences for crimes and the "age of consent").

I have no personal opinion on how it affects our society.

Answer 3

The artificial stage called adolescence in a few developed nations, especially the U.S., is the deliberate creation of economists and social engineering to manipulate job markets and consumerism. Adolescence and artificially maintained adulthood years of dependency have severe, long-term handicapping detrimental effects on individuals, effects which are becoming apparent in globalization and the rise of a competitive global job market for which American youth are insufficiently prepared to compete in and who lag far behind their contemporaries from other nations in areas including competency, self-sufficiency, leadership, self-motivation, work experience, multi-lingualism and level of entry-pay qualified to earn.

Answer 4

As a teenager, I think that if I were to not have this time in my life then there wouldn't be reason to exist. Teenage years are when we learn alot about the world and give us time to think about our future.

Answer 5

Teenagers are idiots and obese. No use for them. They should be thrown in the workforce and be doing an education at the same time. I did and still am.

Answer 6

I think we are lucky that we get to have that gradual step in to adulthood. It is to bad that the teens don't see how good they have it until it is gone :o)

Answer 7

teenager is the middle time. hopefully they grow out of it.

Answer 8

i'd rather be on my own already so i could do whatever the F*CK i wanted.