What is a teenager?

[democratic leader]

I think teen is 11-21.

[Guest]

@Omega:

I think before, there was childhood and adult. Once the child was ready, he became an adult with all the responsibilities.
Nowadays, we have the teenagers. They have more responsibilities than child, but do not have the power of the adults. Isn’t this problematic?

Okay then, when does the child become an adult?

[Omega]

I never said I had the answer, I was just pointing out that in ancient societies, something called teenager did not exist

My guesses would be :
Girl become woman when married

For the boy???

In some Jew society (maybe a real Jew could enlighten me) : the passage from boy to man comes from a special initiation.

In Canada or USA, for example, a child/teen becomes adult when he reaches 18/21 (age for drinking, to vote) Why 18? No particular reason, which is the flaw of such system. Something based on education would be much better (we can’t use the old marriage system, we could use something in the line of an initiation. When one reaches the minimum education, he is considered ready for life in society. I suppose this minimum of education could include knowledge of society, of its judicial system, of philosophy as well as standard studies from sciences/history/literature/culture. Could be after high school, thus making all those who skip high school not citizens, which in turn could motivate the so called “teen” to finish high school.)

I just fail to see the use of teenager. If its only used to describe the person between 11-19 (or whatever the numbers are), sure I have no problem with this. But there is an entire industry around this moment of teenager. Ideally, one could only hope that industry exist to prepare the teenager for adult age, which is not the case in our modern societies. Magazines about stars, how to do sex, sex tips etc.

[Guest]

But there is an entire industry around this moment of teenager. Ideally, one could only hope that industry exist to prepare the teenager for adult age, which is not the case in our modern societies. Magazines about stars, how to do sex, sex tips etc.

This industry is only concerned with what sells. They are in business to make money.

[Bigtiti]

héhé, than i’m partly at teenager ;)
15…

[Guest]

@Frontovik:

héhé, than i’m partly at teenager ;)
15…

If you are 15, then you are 100% teenager.

[Bardoly]

@Omega:

I read in some magazines that Teen is a modern invented age between childhood and adult (Apparently, there were no teenagers during the Middle-Age for example)

Very true.  The term, “teenager” is less than 100 years old.  People were considered “young men” and "“young women” or “young adults”.

@Omega:

I think before, there was childhood and adult. Once the child was ready, he became an adult with all the responsibilities.
Nowadays, we have the teenagers. They have more responsibilities than child, but do not have the power of the adults. Isn’t this problematic?

Absolutely.  This is quite problematic.

[Starke Von Oben]

Many people assume that teenagers were first recognized as a group in 1950s America, but it was in fact the Nazis who first gave teenagers or “youth” a sense of having some signifigance within society.

He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future.
-Adolf Hitler

[Guest]

Teenagers are given far too much freedom these days.