originally published 7/1/2000

Thomas Hine, author of The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager (Harper Perennial, 2000), takes an historical — rather than a psychological — approach to the development of the concept of the teenager. Following the Depression, Hine says, teenagers began to be seen as more juvenile, thanks to portrayals in film and as a result of their having more time on their hands. He argues that the first modern teenage generation came of age in the immediate post-World War II era. A rise in targeted marketing to this demographic contributed to the development of the concept of the teenager, as did a rising standard of living and decreased opportunities for intergenerational interaction.

10 minutes

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