Squeaky Clean Teens?

Trend blog PSFK posted over the weekend their observation that Generation Y is…nice. Here's the post:

"Is it us or are all the teens these days boring? Well not so much boring, but really, really nice. They help their dads in the yard, tell their moms everything, keeping sober and they're not even jumping each others' bones so less teenage pregnancies! It's enough to terrify us Gen Xers - and we thought Gen Y was bad enough!

Don't worry all this nicety will surely breed some contempt and rebellion in a few years time: maybe we'll get something as big as punk, rave or even rock and roll in three or four years time!"

While it's possible that it's a cyclical thing — teens got along with their parents in the 50s, convervative values are back, I think it really has to do with our psychological evolution. After a few decades of pop psychology and therapy, today's parents are making more of an effort to understand teens and are trying to have better relationships with them and with each other.

As for teens having less sex and the drop in teen pregnancies, this generation grew up with an awareness of AIDs and more frank discussions of sexuality than ever before. Even if their schools or parents are preaching abstinence-only, all they have to do is turn on MTV for the real deal. I think the combo of understanding the risks of sex and better communication with parents is leading teens to make better choices.

Finally, re: what the next youth generated rebellion will look like? I'm not sure what musical form it will take — but the idea of creative control via the Web is taking over everything: from mashing music to sharing music to demanding input on any product or media. Don't listen at your own peril.

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