Dating and obtaining a driver\u2019s license have long been American rites of passage, but a new study suggests that today\u2019s teens seem less interested in meeting those milestones than prior generations.<\/p>\n
A study<\/a> published this week in the journal Child Development<\/em> showed a sharp decline over the past decade in the percentage of adolescents who date or drive. The share of teens who have tried alcohol or held a paying job has also decreased.<\/p>\n And while some of the data may suggest that teens are making healthier choices, the overall trend of delaying adulthood may speak to the increased pressures today\u2019s kids face, according to a Washington Post <\/em>article examining the new findings<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re starting to realize, wow, they really do have to worry about their resumes,\u201d Stephanie Coontz, director of research at the Council of Contemporary Families told the Post<\/em>. \u201cThey come in without the kind of reckless disregard of consequence that a more confident generation of kids had, who said, \u2018I\u2019ll drop out of school and join the peace movement.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n As a result, teens have become more future-focused than previous generations, said adolescent psychiatrist Daniel Siegel.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a culture that says, \u2018Okay, you\u2019re going to go to high school, go to college, go to graduate school, and then get an internship, and you\u2019re not going to be really responsible till your late \u201820s,\u2019 well the brain will respond accordingly,\u201d Siegel told the Post<\/em>.<\/p>\n But has that mindset made adolescents too cautious?<\/p>\n Penelope Haskew, 45, told the Post<\/em> she is happy to know that her 15-year-old daughter is a rule-follower who favors staying home with family to \u00a0going out with friends. Yet Haskew sometimes worries whether the teen is missing out on life lessons.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that stuff necessary for human development, do you have to be a risk-taking teenager in order to succeed as an adult?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n Read the full article<\/a>.<\/p>\n Admitted writer\/editor Mary Stegmeir welcomes additional comments and story ideas at\u00a0<\/em>mstegmeir@nacacnet.org<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dating and obtaining a driver\u2019s license have long been American rites of passage, but a new study suggests that today\u2019s teens seem less interested in meeting those milestones than prior generations. A study published this week in the journal Child Development showed a sharp decline over the past decade in the percentage of adolescents who … Continue reading Study: Are Today\u2019s Teens Afraid to Grow Up?<\/span>