The Decline in Adult Activities Among U.S. Adolescents, 1976-2016

The social and historical contexts may influence the speed of development. In seven large, nationally representative surveys of U.S. adolescents 1976-2016 (N = 8.44 million, ages 13-19), fewer adolescents in recent years engaged in adult activities such as having sex, dating, drinking alcohol, worki...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child development 2019-03, Vol.90 (2), p.638-654
Main Authors: Twenge, Jean M., Park, Heejung
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activities of Daily Living
Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior
Adolescents
Adult
Adults
Alcohol use
Childbirth & labor
Drinking behavior
EMPIRICAL ARTICLES
Enrollments
Family size
Female
First born
Homework
Humans
Life expectancy
Life history
Life span
Male
Socioeconomic Factors
Teenagers
United States
Young Adult
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Summary:The social and historical contexts may influence the speed of development. In seven large, nationally representative surveys of U.S. adolescents 1976-2016 (N = 8.44 million, ages 13-19), fewer adolescents in recent years engaged in adult activities such as having sex, dating, drinking alcohol, working for pay, going out without their parents, and driving, suggesting a slow life strategy. Adult activities were less common when median income, life expectancy, college enrollment, and age at first birth were higher and family size and pathogen prevalence were lower, consistent with life history theory. The trends are unlikely to be due to homework and extracurricular time, which stayed steady or declined, and may or may not be linked to increased Internet
ISSN:0009-3920
1467-8624
DOI:10.1111/cdev.12930