Today's Youth Are Delaying Adulthood

American teenagers today are putting off sex, drugs, responsibility and behaviour otherwise considered “a rite of passage into adulthood” — more so than previous generations.

Research released this month by the Child Development Journal shows a drastic drop in activities that include: obtaining driver’s licenses, dating, working for pay, and trying alcohol. The rates have steadily dropped since 1979, most notably within the past decade.

Results showed that between 1976-1979, “86 percent of high school seniors had gone on a date.” In comparision, between 2010-2015, “only 63 percent had.” Those who earned money from work dropped from 76 to 55 percent; and those who tried alcohol decreased from 93 to 67 percent between 2010-2016, the study reported. Additionally, the number of teens who engaged in sex dropped from 54 percent in 1991 to 41 percent in 2016.

These changes may be attributed to several factors, but most center around evolving societal dynamics. Technology, for instance, doesn’t entirely explain the changes, as these trends began before smart devices were readily available.

As Jeane Twenge, the study’s lead author, puts it, there’s less interest in dating, driving, etc, because there’s less of a need for these things in our resource-rich world. In other words, it’s no longer about survival… at least in the traditional sense. Teenagers may not be focused on drinking or driving, but rather, the rising costs of college; climate change; or their career paths.

Youth today may face a more treacherous world, which may mean they’re in no real rush to grow up.