Teens Today Are Having Sex, Dating and Drinking Less Than They Used To

Contrary to popular belief, today’s kids are not growing up too fast. According to a new study published in the journal Child Development, they’re growing up slower than they used to. The researchers analyzed survey responses from 8.3 million adolescents, ages 13 to 19, from across the country over the last 40 years (1976 to 2016). They found that today’s youths, compared to those in previous decades, are less likely to engage in adult activities, including drinking alcohol, dating, having sex, going out without their parents, driving a car and working a job. Today, the researchers say, 18-year-olds act more like 15-year-olds from previous decades. That was true across all demographic groups in the study. The new findings are consistent with other recent research, and they tell a complicated story of teens today. “Some people have written that alcohol use and sexuality are down, so that must mean that teens are more virtuous than they used to be,” says lead author Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University. “Others wrote that they’re less likely to have jobs, so they must be lazy or immature.” “If you look at the big picture, it’s not that they’re doing more good things or more bad things overall,” says Twenge. “It’s just that they’re less likely to do all kinds of things that adults do, and there is definitely a trade-off there.” One downside to slower de...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized adolescents Dating drinking igen jean twenge maturity Sex Sex/Relationships teen drinking teen pregnancy teenage sex statistics Teenagers Teens Source Type: news