Complaints of adults about teenagers

It is well known that many adults complain a lot about teenagers.
We asked adults what they have to complain about exactly and here are the most frequent complaints with our team's comments on them.

1) Teenagers nowadays are very rude. They do not respect people of older age. You just can not tell them something without hearing rude words in return. They want us to respect their opinion but they do not express something valuable and do not do anything for what they can be respected.

I agree that teenagers nowadays are very rude. They do not respect people of older age. You just cannot tell them something without hearing rude words in return. I think it happens because today teenagers listen to crazy music, watch a lot of violent films that teach them to be violent and rude. Mass media breaks values that people must have. But I think that it is adults' fault too that teenagers are rude. Parents spend a lot of time at their work and do not have time to be with teenagers and act as wise advisers about what is good and bad.
Nastya Losenkova (R)

I agree with this complaint, in my opinion it is very important problem. Many teenagers are very rude. They don't respect their parents and grandparents, because sometimes they don't understand children.
Alex (R)

Not always. Most teens are like that but not all. But I have to admit, usually only the geeks aren't very rude.
Jessica James (U)

This is not true. When I was growing I was taught to respect my elders and I do. Only the kids who have not been taught don't respect their elders.
Ashley Clark (U)

I think that is true and not true. Some people do and some don't.
Arianna Slate (U)

That is not true about all teenagers. That is like saying all adults are boring.
(U)

2) Teenagers do not respect opinion of adults. We are older and we know better in many aspects. They not only do not respect but they do not want even to listen and to try to understand.

You (adults) know many things, but you also don't respect us. It is easier to agree when we actually see the proof.
Arianna Slate (U)

I actually sort of agree. Me, myself, I don't like to listen to my mom's opinions. But for some reason, I actually like them sometimes, and I listen. It's kind of embarrassing to actually listen to her opinions though. I don't know why.
Jessica James (U)

Only some children!
Ashley Clark (U)

I think it is peculiarity of age. Sometimes we think that parents cannot understand us too, they say we are stupid and young. I think that misunderstanding is normal for this age. I think that to soft this problem all must be tolerant.
Arina (R)

I think it happens because we have very difficult character during this period. We want to be independent and our parents to be more tolerant to us.
Anna (R)

It is not completely true, some do not respect, others do. The way to solve this problem is for adults to start to respect opinions of teenagers. For example, my granny has always respected my opinions and that is why I respect hers.
Nika (R)

3) This generation wears very strange clothes. Especially in summer one can walk in the street and think that he is on the beach. Girls often do not wear anything at all. Tight tops, stomach is not covered, very short skirts. It is not clothes and it is not decent.

Once I talked about it to my mother and she said that her mother told the same things to her when she was in my age. So, this complaint is not only about our generation. I think that it is strange way that some people express themselves. As for me, I wear only clothes that are good and beautiful for me.
Arina (R)

When I visit some places, I see teenagers who really wear strange clothes or use very bright make up, go with piercing or tattoo. But I do not think it is very dreadful. It is expression of their emotions.
But I also think that teenagers should not break public rules and come this way to serious places.
Anastasia (R)

Fashion is different in all generations. But there are certain rules that everyone should obey. Clothes should be suitable for a place you are in. I only agree with adults' protests when teenagers wear beach like clothes to schools, theatres or other official places. But in general, I think if teenagers wear something crazy, it will go out with age and they will not wear this when they grow older.
Nika (R)

What about boys! They wear low riders and most of all the girls who dress like that are SKANKS!
(U)

Teens these days like these clothes that are light and stuff. I honestly don't like it, but other girls do. And it seems to be appealing to teen boys! Ewwww!
(U)

That's not all true. Only some girls do that. Also it is not all about girls. What about boys?
(U)

Why not talk about boys' clothing styles?
(U)

4) Teenagers listen to crazy music and they listen to it very loud. They do not listen to serious classical music at all.

Maybe that's their hobby that they like to do. We all have different hobbies.
(U)

Why?! We don't need to listen to classical. Some of the teens do. I guess it appeals to teens more.
(U)

I think it is not so bad, because music is changing and preferences are changing too. If teenagers like new styles in music, why can't they listen to it? Classical music is very rare now and not easy to get.
Dmitriy (R)

Music is expression of inner world. If they listen to this or that music, it means they feel this way inside.
Nastya Losenkova (R)

Not all teenagers listen to loud crazy music. But some teenagers have it as part of their life activities. Some teenagers do sport, some draw, some are fond of thinking and some just listen to crazy music!
Anna (R)

I agree with opinion of adults, because I think that music is divided into classical and crazy.
But many complaints are about pop music too and I do not think that it is crazy. Maybe, sometimes it has no sense but it is not the main thing. Some people listen to music and not words.
Dashulya (R)

Did you ever ask your children why they listen to this music and what they find in it? Then, you can understand if you ask. I do not understand which music is crazy and who can define what is crazy and what is not?
Anastasia (R)

I do not like popular music that most of teenagers listen to. But I think that music is matter of taste and tastes differ. Nevertheless, I think the most important part of this complaint is listening to music loudly. Teenagers should have their right of choice which music to listen but they should not impose their choice on others. I feel very irritated when I am at home and have to listen to loud music neighbours are listening.
Nika (R)

5) Teenagers drink a lot nowadays. Our generation did not drink at all while we were at school. And now we can see many drunken teenagers.

Not all teenagers drink. Those who drink do it because of a lot of stress or they want to look like their older friends.
Anna (R)

Nowadays teenagers do not drink a lot. We can see drunken adults much more often than drunken teenagers. Also, it is false that adults did not drink at all when they were teenagers.
Rustam (R)

I guess that they're just like that and think they look better.
(U)

I agree with this complaint. I do not think that nobody from older generation drank at school but in general, it is true. Drinking is a problem of our generation. We cannot tell that most of teenagers are alcoholics but more and more can't imagine their free time without beer or even stronger drinks.
Nika (R)

6) Teenagers are very violent today. Criminal situation has become worse because of juvenile delinquency. It is very risky to walk in the streets in dark time of the day. Teenagers watch a lot of violent films which teach them to be violent too.

Who makes the films? ADULTS!!
(U)

Maybe they just are so unhappy that that's what they do.
(U)

Very true. TV is overloaded with violence, even many cartoons are with lots of fighting. I think if you see many violent films, you become more violent too. Some researches of scientists prove it. It is adults who create TV schedules, there should be control not to include such films in prime time. But first of all, it is parents' task to form right watching habits of their children from early childhood, to discuss programs. Children brought up on good films and programs are much less likely to start watching violent films in teen age. But problem is that many adults do not know or control what children watch.
Nika (R)

7) Teenagers want to live a good life but they do not want to work at all.

What about me, I think that it's not truth. Because my dream is to be independent from my parents, so I have to get used to it. My parents agree with me, and allow me a lot of things but they always help me
Nastya Losenkova (R)

I cannot agree with this statement. All teenagers are different. I can only tell you about me and my friends. We have aims and dreams and try to achieve them. It is very sad for me that people think this way. They are wrong…Now most of my friends and I study hard.
Arina (R)

Dreams about good life are not bad. I cannot understand why it is a problem. All dreams are good and if you want something, you will work hard to achieve it. At least, most of people will do it.
Dashulya (R)

I don't agree that teenagers do not want to work. Many of my friends and I work during summer.
Rustam (R)

Doesn't everyone?
(U)

They don't want to work; they want to have fun, too.
(U)

Not true about everyone but not untrue completely. As I can observe, some teenagers dream of having things easy coming to their hands and everything at once, without working hard.
Somehow it is influence of mass media. We read and watch about people who can afford a lot of things, famous people from show or model business, for example. Many newspapers publish how they spend their money, for example, how much was spent on wedding party, house or other possessing, holidays, how many different things they have. I know many teenagers who want to have such success and they think that it is very easy to achieve if you have right appearance.
And I know some teenagers who want to become rich and get everything immediately through marrying rich and successful people.
Nika (R)

8) They only demand from parents, more and more when they grow older. They want fashionable clothes, expensive mobiles, computer and many other things. They do not understand how money is earned and how difficult it is to realize all their needs especially if there is not father in the family.

Nobody tells us anything so how are we supposed to understand?
(U)

Sexist (to say that needs aren't met without a father)! What about the mother meeting the needs?
(U)

I think that this problem will end when teenagers grow older. If you want to show teenagers how money is earned, adults should create more job opportunities for teenagers. And they should make teenagers work more at home and not do all housework for them.
Dmitriy (R)

Of course, most of children want to have many things but I do not agree with this statement. Most of teenagers understand how adults earn money and what they can or cannot afford.
Dashulya (R)

Like in all complaints, it can't be said about all teenagers. But some really do not understand and demand a lot. Why it happens? To my mind, it is partly adults' fault.
I understand the reason like this. Some parents try to satisfy all demands when their children are very little, especially if a child is only one in the family. A child starts to think that it is parents' duty to buy everything he wants. When a child grows older, his demands grow with them and it becomes very difficult for parents to meet his expectations, so in teen years it brings to conflicts about buying and not buying.
I think that parents should teach basic things about money from early childhood and explain.
Children should know about planning of family budget. It is good if teenagers help with shopping for family. This way they will have better idea of prices.
Parents should tell teenagers about material difficulties in the family when they take place.
Nika (R)

9) Teenagers do not have desire and curiosity for learning. Very few read books nowadays. They prefer watching bad films or play computer games.

I disagree with the fact that many teenagers do not read books. I know many kids that read every night. It is only books that they do not like that are assigned at school that they don't read.
(U)

I love to read!
(U)

They think it is more fun to read.
(U)

While teenagers play computer games, they can know a lot of new. Sometimes they learn foreign languages. Watching bad films is a real problem. To escape this problem television must show bad films later, at night.
Dmitriy (R)

It is inevitable that teenagers use other sources of information than books. TV sets now are almost in all homes, many have computers and Internet. And it is good to have many different sources for learning.
But there is also a bad side of it. TV, Internet give "ready" knowledge in most cases. Much of it is not good for thinking process of children. Many prefer watching TV to reading books.
It is true that in general young generation does not read as much as their parents used to do. This is sad tendency. Reading develops mind and makes people think.
And from those who read, many prefer only entertaining literature, like entertainment magazines and newspapers, detective and love novels. I do not want to tell that such kind of literature is bad, it is good and useful for its purpose. But to my mind, it would be good if more teenagers read serious literature too.
Nika (R)

10) Most of teenagers swear. It is very unpleasant. You hear swearing of teenagers everywhere, in the streets, transport, shops. What is surprising is that many girls swear too or let their friends do so.

I don't swear, except some rare situation. I think that adults swear much more often than teenagers.
Rustam (R)

Why is it so "surprising" that girls swear?
(U)

Sexist! Why is it so much worse for a girl than for a guy?
(U)

I agree with it. Teenagers, boys and girls swear a lot nowadays and it is really very unpleasant to hear such speech in public places. But I also think that it is fault of adults too in this situation. From whom did teenagers learn to swear? From adults.
Nika (R)

For stuff that my parents complain a lot about, is that I don't pick up my books and clothing enough, and that I have to eat healthier. They also nag me on things like you need to get your homework done before you watch TV or play games on the computer, or talk on the phone. They also nag on me about talking on instant messaging for too long, and that's about it.
Katie Cersley (U)

Teenagers nowadays don’t worry much about their grades, school and what their future awaits them. They prefer to have a life full of fun, like going to movies and parties, and think that their parents will arrange their future, especially rich kids that already have a lot of money, because they think that with their parent’s money they can have a great life. Teenagers should be concerned and aware of what their future will be because I don’t think anyone wants to have a bad job and be miserable.

Another thing that adult’s complain about is how lazy teenagers are. Teenagers a while ago didn’t have as much television programs as today, and that kept them out of the house riding bicycles or going to the mall. Also, now there are a lot of computer games that keep teenagers locked in their house.

by Rodrigo Chapa (M)

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