To think 16 year olds don't go out to clubs and parties anymore?

[Todayisaday]

I was in secondary for the 90s, and at around 16, we were all clubbing and going to raves, pubs, gigs and generally having a whale of a time. I know my parents generation were out a lot too by 16.

I know quite a few 16 year olds children of friends and relatives and they don't seem to go out very much at all like that.
Am I unreasonable to think that this generation are not party people??

Asking as so much culture and new music was created in generations past and fuelled by younger generations pushing boundaries. But either I am old and zi just dont know about these things, or youth culture is genuinly stiffled. They seem to all listen to 90s music atm 😂or mainstream music?
What do you think about it? What do you know that I don't as I am too old 😂

Both ds's (18 and 16) don't drink. But!! Younger is very good guitarist and singer and does the whole rock/ grunge thing. Parties, has 2 bands he's formed, goes to gigs, he just doesn't drink. Tbh they can be creative and innovative without drinking or taking drugs (which I did at that age) then all power to them! Hopefully it means we've brought them up to respect their bodies and health.

There are still lots of parties but for dd1 only from whrn she hit 6th form. Dd2 has been going to teenage parties since 14 but is in with the private / public school party crowd (she’s not at private school herself I don’t really understand it either).

Things are a lot tighter with this these days. Back then no one really cared as long as you kept your head down but now it’s completely different, people aren’t willing to risk their licenses for the sake of teens going out

It's alot harder to get in places now adays bk then a fake Id an some make up done the trick, I work with alot of younger girls 19-24 they rarely go out said there's to much trouble always fighting stabbing and increase in spiking too.

Yes l, shopping for the outfits. Then meeting at the pub, then onto a club. Every friday and saturday night.
Doing your weekend job with a hangover from hell too 😂but you were all in the same boat.

my DD’s did, not clubs so much because of id (dd2 definitely had fake at boarding school) but pubs and parties frequently

Yes this is a sad state of affairs, to have justified fears of actually going out.

Fair enough, we lived in a london suburb so it was all on our doorstep and good transport links, definitely can see how location would play a part in what a young person can do.

Yes, there were pubs where you knew you could get served. Youd go in and the entire school year would be in there, pubs absolutely full to the brim of people too. They are so quiet now.

Wednesday nights, get home from school, shower/change, bus into nearest city, taxi home at 02:00-get up for school next day. From the age of 14. And i went out at weekends too. 😂

Even university students don’t club or party as much as kids in earlier decades - speak to uni town club owners!! Female students I’ve had staying tell me that they get hassled so
much and feel unsafe.

They said most people only clubbed regularly in first year and only then in mixed sex groups with strict rules to protect against spiking and dodgy bloke attendees ( and rumoured dodgy staff on occasion). After that social life seems to consist of meeting friends in their accommodation or occasional pub meet ups.

It’s much harder for kids to get into clubs underage now than it was when I was a teenager. Also, parents generally are much more reluctant to let teenagers have that kind of freedom.

However, my friends’ teenagers certainly do go to parties and the ones who are into music go to gigs and music store events and things like that. And they drink alcohol.

My DD is about to turn 18 and hasn't set foot in a club yet, she's been to pubs with friends once or twice but it's nothing like when I was 16, out on the town every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Plus the clubs now are just crap compared to what they used to be like, not as many people go out even when they are 18.

It's too expensive these days for the younger crowd to maintain it. I used to have an entire night out on £30, including nightclub entry. You could get shots for a quid each, £2.80 for a pint of cider and 10 Mayfair cigarettes for £1.99.

My 17 year old gets £15 p/w pocket money - (he's had no success finding a part time job for the weekends despite sending off numerous applications, and even me helping him with the forms)

£15 would pay to get him into the club, usually at least a tenner entry where I am, and one solitary pint.

Whereas he can buy himself 4 cans and a kebab and sit in the garden or his bedroom with his mates. He's rather go to the gym or the pitches and play football followed by a bag of chips though!

From what i remember of the late 90's we were hardly ever ID'd. Especially the girls, if served by a male member of staff in a pub. Same with cigarettes.

I’m in my 20s but never got into clubbing culture. I felt self conscious dancing, got paralytic a couple of times and I hated the whole fashion aesthetic a few years ago. Ie heavy makeup, false lashes, high heels, skimpy dresses etc and posting it all online.

I can’t say I enjoyed myself. I hated the pressure that came with it being cool to be “out out”. Half the time it was annoying having to make sure me/my friends were safe and not getting harassed by creeps. Plus it was expensive (London) to get alcohol and because I knew my limit, sometimes it would be awkward saying no to more drinks/not drinking.

I don’t know if it’s a post-pandemic thing but I feel like clubbing generally isn’t popular anymore and I love that! I much prefer going to a bar or restaurant that turns into a bit of a dance at the end of the night but everyone’s home before midnight.

agree OP - DSS is 19 & all him & his mates do is go to the cinema or out for a bubble tea!

You are right. Mine didn’t do any of the stuff I grew up doing. People are so judgemental now that of young people did go out until 4am and get drunk every weekend people would think they were feral.

Mine are early 20s now but had fake ID at 17. Is that not used these days?

I loved my clubbing day's! From 17-20 ish I was out most weekends, fake I.D when I was underage. My son is 17 & is driving now and he tends to go to an old village pub to play pool or darts (whilst drinking lemonade) or a pub/restaurant in town that has live music (whilst drinking lemonade) or playing golf 🏌️‍♀️. I'm glad he's much more sensible than I was at his age otherwise I'd be having sleepless nights! Ha ha

I often think these sorts of memories seem to change with time though.As a youngster I went to parties ,pubs and so on .Lots of people seem to imagine they were up to 5am, coming back with the milkman and still going to work putting in a full day etc. Truth is really only weekends and not every week! ATM ID is really strict here (SC) and In Cardiff where DS attended Uni he got asked for ID by security when he was out with us (21) Its not as lax as it was then

The current youngsters don’t seem to drink much at all, they’re all into health and the gym which is fantastic. So that probably explains some of it!

They are properly strict. They can spot fakes. If it’s a genuine ID but not yours they take it and destroy it so others are less willing to glibly let others use their IDs. Dd a July birthday so we had a few stressful months of her trying to get into clubs as her pals turned 18 and she didn’t.

They have more knowledge of the impact of toxins and chemicals on their brains and bodies. They don't drink.

My 16 and 17 year olds don't approve of drinking, drugs or smoking. It's not cool.

In my early 20s (in the early 80s) when I first started going out out, my friends and I would start off with a film, followed by a pizza, then go clubbing. We didn’t really drink very much and after 3 Martini and lemonade would switch to soft drinks. Dancing was more important! Binge drinking was at its height in the early 00s I think.