What do British teenagers think about ...?

At last …. According to the BBC we can find out what British teenagers think about their parents, sex, money and the pressures of modern life. The answers have come to light in a new survey carried out by the BBC and just published (Dec 4th) on the BBC Devon website.

Enjoy it.

Love and humour are parents' top qualities according to today's teenagers, but their money was almost as highly rated.
In a survey carried out on the BBC Devon website, half of teenagers agreed the best things about their parents were the way they show their love for them and their sense of humour. However, financial matters were appreciated almost as much - 44% claimed the money their parents gave them was one of the best things about them.

The Talking Teenagers survey results show that the main reason for arguments between parents and teenagers was the teens' behaviour. Two thirds of the teenagers claimed this was the cause of most arguments. According to the teenagers the worse thing about today's parents was their mood. Parents seemed well aware of this, as they predicted teenagers would claim this was their worst quality.

Fashion, or possibly lack of it, was also a concern for teenagers - almost a third of those surveyed claimed their parents dress sense was one of the worse things about them.

Sex

Teens still find talking about sex with their parents difficult - less than a quarter felt able to talk to their parents about it. Well over half said they preferred talking to their friends about sex than their parents. Parents, however, seem less aware of this - almost half felt their teens could talk to them about sex.
Nearly one in ten of those who completed the survey felt unable to talk about sex with either their parents or their friends.
Unsurprisingly more than a third of teens also claimed that boyfriends/girlfriends were one of their biggest worries.

Under Pressure
Depression was a subject half of our teens felt more comfortable talking to their friends about. Almost a quarter of teens claimed their parents worried that their children might become depressed. It appears, however, that parents were even more concerned than their teens realised - 39% expressed concerns over teenage depression.
Even at such a young age around one third of teens felt that death was one of their biggest worries.

Money, Money, Money
One of the best things about parents according to nearly half of the teenagers, was the money they gave them. Only 30% of parents though felt teenagers would say money.
A fifth claimed that the money their parents gave them was one of the worst things about them!
Today's consumer society has caused a headache for many teens. Almost 40% claimed money was one of their biggest worries. Teen spending was also a big worry for parents.

Society

Teenagers today feel undervalued by society, as only 11% agreed that society values them. Over half of teenagers, 56%, also felt that they get a bad press.
Just over a fifth of teenagers said that their parents could make them happier by giving them more freedom and to stop treating them like a child.
For parents, the main thing which would make them happier would be for their teens to talk and listen to them more, but equally for them to do more housework!

Read the BBC page here.