Hey, adults: What your brand needs to know about the future of teens
What it means to be a teen is changing. So is the world youth live in. This issue explores how the beliefs, attitudes and behaviors of adolescents are evolving in an age of social media, climate change, and economic instability, and what these transformations mean for brands, media and institutions.
Are the kids alright? If you asked a few thousand Americans — as we did — you’d get a striking look at generational change. The milestones and institutions that define the line between adolescence and adulthood are shifting, and teen perspectives on everything from identity and relationships to employment and education are in a state of flux. No cap, as the kids say.
Teen What the Future isn’t another Gen Z report. It’s about what it means to be young in today’s world and what that might look like tomorrow. It’s also not, therefore, an issue about the future of a thing or a topic. But rather a group of humans. So, we’ll talk about where teens are today, what this cohort might look like tomorrow and what “being a teen” might look like in the future, too.
Read on for a look at how shifts in the economy, technology, and society at large are restructuring teen habits, beliefs, and mental health, what that could mean for the years to come, and why institutions, media and brands across industries should be paying close attention.
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For full results, please refer to the annotated questionnaire.
