What scares teenagers these days?

[StBrides]

Some colleagues were talking about how desensitised teens are these days, having grown up in the fully digital age where you can stumble upon really horrible things online.

Because it's Halloween, it made me wonder if the younger generations don't find the traditional scary / horror films scary in the way us who are a bit older do?

I used to love a bit of gentle horror as a teenager, but the famous films from the 70s were too dated for me to get into so they never freaked me out. Just wondering what the scare landscape is like for the "youths of today" I guess - i don't really know anyone in this age group to ask!

Avoiding the bleak state of the world topics, in terms of films, my 14 yo isn't at all fussed by blood and gore (although enjoys a good hidey cushion) but is genuinely scared of jump-scary suspense type horror.

Actually reading “Z For Zachariah” in the 80s (about people who survive after a disaster destroys the world) freaked me out.

The gulf war freaked my DB and his friends out as teenagers, they literally thought they’d die and were going out raving and taking drugs which didn’t help their paranoia and mindset at all!

Judging by the success of the latest Scream film released last year I think lots of teens are scared by jump films.

Soap and water

For my teen it’s forced social interaction with peers (totally happy speaking with adults) and Chernobyl the docuseries they did that was brilliant but based on actual events. Dd couldn’t cope with that.

Not getting enough likes on social media and the internet going down.

I always find this unfair. Even working very hard and long hours doesn't get people what it used to so it's no wonder some younger people aren't exactly motivated.

Well life is pretty terrifying.

I am partly being flippant but am also a teacher and do see a lot (not all) of teens who basically want everything done for them and somehow downloaded into their brains in time for the exams.

I agree @JamSandle if it was phrased as: “getting a degree, working a 40 hour week and still having to live with strangers in my 30s because the economy is fucked” I would bloody agree with the teens! It’s outrageous anyone can work a full time job And still have to rely on parents/benefits/food banks. Absolutely criminal.

*extra points if we could fit in something like “get blamed for drinking a cappuccino whilst paying more in rent than I would pay for a mortgage”.

My daughter is worried about future career prospects. But that's not what you mean.
Neither my 18 year old DD nor my 20 year old are interested in horror - certainly not slasher type movies. My DD and I watch Halloween movies every year and thought maybe The Shining but she said no way! We watched Witches of Eastwick (not scary) which she thought was weird, Poltergeist (bit scary but it's a Spielberg movie), Hocus Pocus... nothing along the lines of Children of the Corn or any zombie movies I'd want to watch at her age!

👏👏👏👏

Fully agree

The wifi box going down - in fact, after a long day working from home listening to then moan about how the wifi is lagging (well you lot bloody pay for the better internet then!!!?) I actually now and again switch it off then back on again just to hear the screams of annoyance.

According to Alexia, it's the song "Daisy Daisy".

I heard ds ask Alexia "Alexia, scare me" and it launched into that song.
I have sung it to him at intervals and he doesn't look scared... yet.

How do children find out anything? They talk, people gossip. If he's seen with his boyfriend people comment.

Are you really questioning that homophobia exists.... I'll be sure to tell my son he's being bizarre next time he's verbally abused?? Jeezo

😄

They'll definitely have come across Trans people.
He's either not talking to you, or living in a bubble.

How can they tell he’s bisexual if they see him with his boyfriend?

My two (late) teens are all about fitting in socially, so they're scared of being embarrassed and/or cancelled. I was the same at that age.

They talk of never bringing kids into this world as its too scary.

That's being neurotic.

Seeing their mum running (or dancing)

My 13 year old likes mildly scary horror films. I wouldn’t say he is scared of anything really - maybe the idea of Russia sparking nuclear war but scared in a pretty abstract way, it doesn’t fill his waking thoughts.
He’s not desensitised as such, but he’s a very factual kid who likes finding out how things work. So for example when he was very small he was scared of Spooky Spoon on the Numberjacks so we looked up who voiced her, how they animated her and then he wasn’t scared any more.

When it comes to scary films there is so much info about how things are made etc that he just looks it up. Whereas when I was young we were freaked out by Blair Witch because we were told it was true footage and had no way of verifying that!

DD does not like scary films at all, but her friends do - just like me in my day. So some things don’t change.

Letting go and having fun. Teenagers nowadays are a right bunch of miserable Poe faced Puritans. They all look exactly the same as well. It must be a form of rebellion because we were never such self-righteous misery gutses. Sure we had our causes, and our tribes, but we also had fun. Their music is boring as fuck as well.

Agreed. There are far too many boxes they try to fit in and so much offence to be taken, they don’t have time for fun.

Although, the GCSE sub on Reddit is v funny. I do have hood.