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Original poster

What scares teenagers these days?

112 replies

StBrides · 01/11/2023 00:16

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!

OP posts:

NillyNoMates · 04/11/2023 15:45

Being bullied.
Also scared of expressing an opinion for fear of being cancelled.

LaMadameCholet · 04/11/2023 15:47

Doing some academic work independently.

(I’m a teacher, I love them, but my god they lack oomph)

NorthCliffs · 04/11/2023 15:57

That they're probably not unique or special.

TotalOverhaul · 04/11/2023 18:17

CameleonAreFightingBack · 03/11/2023 16:54

Because we had HOPE
Hope that things will get better -

technology was supposed to help with work, illnesses to be cured. I remember discussions about the 3 day week because robots would have simplifies things so much.
education was the door to a better future. And at the time, it did.

And on the other side, pressures were less. Less pressures with exams. Less pressures to have the Instagram ´perfect’ life. Less instability work wise (see the zero hours contract?). Less poverty.

And I’m not even getting into the issue climate change, pandemics etc…

It’s not that young people are less resilient. It’s that they have a hell of a lot more to cope with that we ever had.

Show quote history

We had different pressures then. More blatant and absolutely unchecked sexism. Very restrictive jobs for women - no females in boardrooms, very few in politics. Rape in marriage was not seen as possible.

Nuclear war was a very present threat, just as climate change is now.

Far less physical comfort: ice inside windows, no central heating, no cars, no phones to let people know where you were or if you were safe. No parents collecting you from parties/events/school dos.

You walked home miles, whatever the time or weather and fended off kerb crawlers and men who tried to accost you in alleyways. That is awful and shouldn't happen to anyone, but I do wonder how come in those days women got together and laughed about such men in a way that empowered us and disempowered them in our minds, and now such events are seen as traumatic in a way that will certainly damage the victim. I sometimes want to say to girls who leave work in tears because some creep put his hand on their knee - stay put. Don't let these things define you and don't be told that you can't cope with it. It can be wrong and actionable, but you can still cope - the two aren't mutually exclusive.

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 04/11/2023 18:20

I am currently reading Sawbones to my Y8 tutor group. Some of them are a bit scared by bits of it, bless them!

Original poster

StBrides · 04/11/2023 20:41

Some really sad replies here and some funny ones. Appreciating them all, though. Glad to hear that they're not all into gore and jump scares still work!

OP posts:

JustKen · 04/11/2023 20:55

17yo recently has been spooked by strange men approaching her and her friend trying to be friendly and getting offended if they are told to foxtrot oscar.

She worried about AI because she is interested in doing an arts subject & she can see how AI can rob her of income in her future.

She worries about getting good A' levels too. She's only been in 6th form since September!

Towwanthustice · 06/11/2023 11:43

School
Bullying...
My 12 Yr old defo is
I can remember being so scared of AIDS because if the media and the lack of knowledge and causes.
They nrly have a cure now and it's not the fear it used to be..

Minfilia · 06/11/2023 13:18

I mean, in the context of horror movies/gore… when Scream was first released, it was an 18, now it’s a 15. I think movies have to truly be sadistic these days to attract an 18 rating. So I do think they are more desensitised to it than my generation.

Teens these days are rather wet behind the ears though as a PP said.

I have 4 teens. Two of them are actually relatively well rounded people. Of the other two, one will go into a pit of depression if his social media posts don’t get enough likes, another won’t hold down a job because he “doesn’t like being told what to do”. The same one didn’t like the hours set by his college course so expected the entire course to be rearranged just for him, and the college actually DID IT. One is scared to answer the phone or make phone calls. Household boundaries are of course ALL unreasonable, because they should be able to do what they want at all times. And apparently it’s “social suicide” these days not to be LGBTQ.

They all just seem a bit… precious. DH and I say daily “I just don’t understand teenagers”. I’m glad I was born when I was because a lot of this generation seem to be attention seeking and work shy with entitled attitudes and zero resilience to daily life.

Towwanthustice · 17/12/2023 12:30

School
Shouty teachers, detentions, homework
Rules

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 17/12/2023 12:34

School
Shouty teachers, detentions, homework
Rules

Most teenagers aren't scared of those things at all. Hence the awful behaviour in schools.

Towwanthustice · 17/12/2023 18:04

Neuro diverse kids then...

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