Study finds today's teens "grow up' slower then in the past

[Forsher]

why driving tho
what's wrong with taking the train

You could make the argument it's an indicator of independence from the home and self-reliance, as well as responsibility.

You could, but you shouldn't.

Private vehicles are convenient but they're quite possibly a social ill. Roads are wasteful of space. Car parks are wasteful of space. Garages are wasteful of space. The infrastructure itself, even if you don't care about the opportunity cost of the space (you should), is harmful to the environment and the way we've collectively shaped spaces around cars has been bad for our health and, unsurprisingly, isn't really the most efficient way of laying things out (nor that aesthetically appealing either). And that's before we talk about the pollution caused by driving itself. Trucks are also bad. Driving is, really, rather irresponsible. Certainly, if you don't need to.

Fewer people driving would, theoretically, open the electorate up to policy measures that address this. No more subsidised parking in cities. No more willy-nilly road building schemes designed to win votes. Tougher environmental regulations. No more minimum parking requirements. This is especially likely in places where some of these things are already happening/in the works.

In many parts of the world, then, the adult thing is not driving. In the sense that being an adult is being less "I'm a special snowflake," which is actually what underlies anything sold on the basis of convenience (i.e. the world should accommodate you). But, obviously, if you live somewhere like, say, Ramarama not being able to drive is fairly problematic. I'm pretty sure there aren't any busses that run through it, not that there's a clear it (there's a school but this is a rural community not far from obvious other places to shop). If, of course, one doesn't want to go anywhere, this is not so much of a problem, though.

We can separate out the issue of "has a licence" and "doesn't have a licence" but because those tend to have expiry dates, it's possible the above argument can sometimes manifest as, "if you're not going to drive, don't get a licence". But, again, you see it is kind of stupid to use this as a measure of adulthood on account of how microscopic the logic is.

Some of the other things listed by the OP possibly also fall into the "doing less is meant to be a bad thing why?" category, as others have noted.

[Salandriagado]

I can understand some of the other things but are people waiting until they're older to drink and have sex really a bad thing?

No, but the fact that we are consistently producing 18 year olds (or, for that matter, 12 year olds) who can't even cook for themselves very much is a problem.

[Imperializt Russia]

The problem is that teens are coming out of high school into adult life with no experience from activities that past teens got.

I had a job in high school. I was expected to balance the responsibilities of the job with the responsibilities of school, or give up the job.

Money was a fantastic motivator.

When you were young, that money better reflected the work you put in, and could buy more useful items and had far greater saving power than the comparatively lower wages now available to fewer young people whose money has lower buying or saving power.

[Wallenburg]

I had a job in high school. I was expected to balance the responsibilities of the job with the responsibilities of school, or give up the job.

Money was a fantastic motivator.

When you were young, that money better reflected the work you put in, and could buy more useful items and had far greater saving power than the comparatively lower wages now available to fewer young people whose money has lower buying or saving power.

And that's assuming you can find a job. I spent about 6 months searching just for a summer job. Never got one. Teenagers looking for their first job can't exactly hope to go job hunting around town and end up working in a week.

[Silvic]

Man this is so true when i used to e younger i was taller than those who are of the same age as i used to be now sometimes i look at them and when whats happening to the world is it some kind of sorcery?

[Sovaal]

why driving tho
what's wrong with taking the train

This study is of teens purely in America.

[Nordengrund]

why driving tho
what's wrong with taking the train

Some of us don't have passenger trains. Where I live, of O want to get anywhere, my options are driving, take a bike, or walking, and a lot of stuff aren't really in walking distance.

[Dumb Ideologies]

The study is American, but it's likely a wider trend in the West. Younger people are increasingly corralled into further layers of education by governments, ostensibly on the grounds of skilling them up for work but more to fiddle the unemployment figures as there isn't enough work around for everyone. This contributes to the inflation in educational requirements for jobs as employers think it's the norm for people to have a degree for relatively low-scale jobs, further encouraging the idea that people need to stay on.

It has very little to do with what is actually needed to perform the jobs competently - more experience rather than an academic qualification is usually more relevant for this, and have entry-level jobs really become that much more complex? The qualifications have a certain social value, so parents want their children to do well, even if it means they're not necessarily having as rounded an experience in life.

As for them not engaging so much in drinking, dating and sex, that's not really here nor there and could easily be the result of a shift in morality as much as not being "grown up".

[The Sauganash Union]

I'm secretly happy that our generation is stunted. Makes it easier for me to win.

The more pampered, gender studies majors there are, the less competition I have.

That is the thinking there kiddo. You could easily be the one to create the next housing bubble for fun and profit.

I was asked in a job interview where I wanted to be at the end of my life.

I said in the obituary of The Economist.

[The Sauganash Union]

I'm secretly happy that our generation is stunted. Makes it easier for me to win.

"I am strong. I will win," I say, as I am made fun of repeatedly on an internet forum.

This forum is nothing compared to office hazing.

[Serrus]

Maturity is subjective, people.
Also if we're...
doing the do... >.>
earlier, is that not a good thing?

Perhaps it is subjective but if one uses phrases like "doing the do" rather than "having sex" then I'd argue that the person is pretty immature.

And certainly not mature enough to be "doing the do".

Yes I am, and I don't want to anyways, so *shrug*.

[Herador]

"I am strong. I will win," I say, as I am made fun of repeatedly on an internet forum.

This forum is nothing compared to office hazing.

Holy shit, I really hope that's a fuckin' joke.

[Herador]

You could make the argument it's an indicator of independence from the home and self-reliance, as well as responsibility.

You could, but you shouldn't.

Private vehicles are convenient but they're quite possibly a social ill. Roads are wasteful of space. Car parks are wasteful of space. Garages are wasteful of space. The infrastructure itself, even if you don't care about the opportunity cost of the space (you should), is harmful to the environment and the way we've collectively shaped spaces around cars has been bad for our health and, unsurprisingly, isn't really the most efficient way of laying things out (nor that aesthetically appealing either). And that's before we talk about the pollution caused by driving itself. Trucks are also bad. Driving is, really, rather irresponsible. Certainly, if you don't need to.

Fewer people driving would, theoretically, open the electorate up to policy measures that address this. No more subsidised parking in cities. No more willy-nilly road building schemes designed to win votes. Tougher environmental regulations. No more minimum parking requirements. This is especially likely in places where some of these things are already happening/in the works.

In many parts of the world, then, the adult thing is not driving. In the sense that being an adult is being less "I'm a special snowflake," which is actually what underlies anything sold on the basis of convenience (i.e. the world should accommodate you). But, obviously, if you live somewhere like, say, Ramarama not being able to drive is fairly problematic. I'm pretty sure there aren't any busses that run through it, not that there's a clear it (there's a school but this is a rural community not far from obvious other places to shop). If, of course, one doesn't want to go anywhere, this is not so much of a problem, though.

We can separate out the issue of "has a licence" and "doesn't have a licence" but because those tend to have expiry dates, it's possible the above argument can sometimes manifest as, "if you're not going to drive, don't get a licence". But, again, you see it is kind of stupid to use this as a measure of adulthood on account of how microscopic the logic is.

Some of the other things listed by the OP possibly also fall into the "doing less is meant to be a bad thing why?" category, as others have noted.

Why can't I be self-reliant and take the train
I pay my taxes, I pay my train pass.

I said could, not should.

[Costa Fierro]

The study is American, but it's likely a wider trend in the West. Younger people are increasingly corralled into further layers of education by governments, ostensibly on the grounds of skilling them up for work but more to fiddle the unemployment figures as there isn't enough work around for everyone. This contributes to the inflation in educational requirements for jobs as employers think it's the norm for people to have a degree for relatively low-scale jobs, further encouraging the idea that people need to stay on.

It probably also is partly why young men are dropping out of the workforce like flies. The lack of suitable, practical work for them in addition to highly competitive job seeking environments plus job growth coming from low wage, predominantly female service industries isn't really cultivating a future for many young men.

There's also a societal aspect to this, in that many of them are also disillusioned with the idea that they should get married and settle down in some sort of mediocre office job as soon as they graduate from university.

[The Sauganash Union]

This forum is nothing compared to office hazing.

Holy shit, I really hope that's a fuckin' joke.

The only jokes in investment banking are tryhard interns.

[Forsher]

why driving tho
what's wrong with taking the train

Some of us don't have passenger trains. Where I live, of O want to get anywhere, my options are driving, take a bike, or walking, and a lot of stuff aren't really in walking distance.

What this should be telling you is that driving is associated with personal experience and not some general idea applicable to everyone. Or, in other words, why driving?

[

I said could, not should.

My bad.

Going forwards I do think you should put in brackets that you personally don't agree, though. Or say something like "I think their logic is..." because probably 9/10 someone writing what you wrote does agree with what they're saying. I mean, I should have noticed the above but it obviously doesn't help Kubra out.

[I didnt vote for Trump]

You could make the argument it's an indicator of independence from the home and self-reliance, as well as responsibility.

You could, but you shouldn't.

Private vehicles are convenient but they're quite possibly a social ill. Roads are wasteful of space. Car parks are wasteful of space. Garages are wasteful of space. The infrastructure itself, even if you don't care about the opportunity cost of the space (you should), is harmful to the environment and the way we've collectively shaped spaces around cars has been bad for our health and, unsurprisingly, isn't really the most efficient way of laying things out (nor that aesthetically appealing either). And that's before we talk about the pollution caused by driving itself. Trucks are also bad. Driving is, really, rather irresponsible. Certainly, if you don't need to.

Fewer people driving would, theoretically, open the electorate up to policy measures that address this. No more subsidised parking in cities. No more willy-nilly road building schemes designed to win votes. Tougher environmental regulations. No more minimum parking requirements. This is especially likely in places where some of these things are already happening/in the works.

In many parts of the world, then, the adult thing is not driving. In the sense that being an adult is being less "I'm a special snowflake," which is actually what underlies anything sold on the basis of convenience (i.e. the world should accommodate you). But, obviously, if you live somewhere like, say, Ramarama not being able to drive is fairly problematic. I'm pretty sure there aren't any busses that run through it, not that there's a clear it (there's a school but this is a rural community not far from obvious other places to shop). If, of course, one doesn't want to go anywhere, this is not so much of a problem, though.

We can separate out the issue of "has a licence" and "doesn't have a licence" but because those tend to have expiry dates, it's possible the above argument can sometimes manifest as, "if you're not going to drive, don't get a licence". But, again, you see it is kind of stupid to use this as a measure of adulthood on account of how microscopic the logic is.

Some of the other things listed by the OP possibly also fall into the "doing less is meant to be a bad thing why?" category, as others have noted.

You're assuming that people who don't have their driver's licence are exclusively taking public transport and not having other people driving around for them, which I assumed is what the article was about given we're talking about teens relying on their parents for much longer than generations past.

[Albrenia]

Not everyone can get a driver's license either. I'm sure there's people out there who are blind or otherwise impaired from getting a license who would count as adults in most people's eyes.

[Independant Nations and Guilds]

Something I don't think was brought up here that I feel is likewise important...

Studies also find the average life expectancy is a lot longer than it was in the past. In fact, there is a very strong correlation between these. As people live longer, they are able to grow up slower. Why there is so much arguing over this is what I find to be truly childish.

[Tierra Prime]

I think it's probably a good thing. A lot of people go into university at 18 with no clue what they are doing. People need time to sort their lives out and mature before they make major commitments like that. University would be much less stressful is students were pushed in as soon as they reach legal age. How can you expect them to write a five thousand word research project when they don't know that drinking half a litre of whiskey in an hour is a bad idea, or that pregnancy is a thing that actually exists?

I certainly feel that the six years I spent maturing after turning 18 has helped me now that I actually am in university.