Teenage magazines

[teaandtoastwithmarmite]

Anyone my age (45) will likely remember the abundance of magazines at our disposal when we were teenagers. I have to say they were very informative on teenage matters (safe sex, drugs, sanitary products, etc). Just wondering where teenagers get this kind of info from nowadays. It got me thinking as my teenager recently decided to try tampons and I remember being really scared not to leave one in due to risk of TSS. She’s very lucky having me and 3 aunties to talk to but I found everything I needed in those magazines!

The internet?

Well yes but where. When it was in a magazine it was there written out for you. What would googling do and I can’t imagine them purposefully looking for this on the internet

Yeah, we got most of our sex ed from the likes of Just Seventeen, More, Sugar and similar. But because they were actual magazines we would often read them with friends rather than scrolling on our own in our bedrooms.

Exactly.

My friend and I used to watch the good sex guide on a Friday night lol. I wouldn’t recommend that! 😂

I remember doing similar things. I'm the same age as you and I suppose back then there just wasn't as much 'content' out there and we spent more time hanging out with our friends IRL. Times have changed but definitely not for the better! No wonder everyone is nostalgic about the 90s!

Yes I agree @DontSingSusan!

Position Of The Week - was that in More magazine? They were brilliant magazines. J17, Sugar... We'd buy one each then pass them around. The agony columns were eye-opening to very sheltered me!

But online, I don't know where teens would look (being in my 50s now!). Is there a Mumsnet type forum for teens? Maybe I should start one...

@elQuintoConyoi really think you should! Position of the week was in more along with a racy short story lol.

As the parent of an 18 year old it is the internet for information these days.
Schools etc sometimes promote specific sites to look at so it isn't all dodgy stuff.

I am 39 and remember lots of magazines aimed at all ages, Girltalk and Cosmogirl for the preteens, Shout which dealt mainly with early puberty issues (growing breasts, starting periods etc.). Sugar which was often aimed at slightly older issues like first time sex. Then went on into adult magazines like Cosmopolitan.

I also got a lot of info from the internet. Early chatrooms like swizzle. Forums like Faceparty and most from The Student Room. Whatever the current equivalents of those are, Snapchat, Tiktok? Idk.

They don't exactly sit alone in their rooms. They are non stop messaging friends, chatting online sharing tiktok videos etc, I'm always surprised by how well informed my DC were about random stuff. There's probably a Reddit on contraception.

I'm early 50s and spent all my pocket money on Jackie, Smash hits, Number one,Mizz,More and Just seventeen. I'm sure there were others. Heat magazine in the 90s and early naughties. Shame they're not a thing anymore 😞