I’m assuming teens are still into..

K.P. Iris

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Stories about self-doubt. Uncertainty for the future. Inadequacy. Overcoming personal struggles. I ask this because the novel I’m working on is one that I’ve been transforming for well over a decade fueled by my experiences with anxiety and how it shaped my life decisions. I’m close to a place in life where I feel comfortable with what I’ve accomplished but looking at the up and coming generation, they’re much more “open” on social media than I was at their age (for context, my teen years were during the boom of bbs and AOL chatrooms so anonymity was a default of sorts).

Will teens who read these these days still find some solace in novels about overcoming internal struggles? I’m in my early 30’s with no plans for kids so input from any parents with pre-teens or teens would be appreciated. Actual teens too. I just don’t want my novel to feel like it’s “stuck in a social time capsule” or something like that. Also the main characters are two girls and the story will focus more on their friendship, romance not really a huge concern for them, and some random sci fantasy going on the background.
 

Dan Rhys

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I've been teaching college for 14 years now, and I can definitely say these concerns are still very much present among teens. My only advice would to not, in a sense, talk down to your reader (not that you would) but write with pretty nearly the same sophistication that you would to an adult. Teens catch on to condesencion quickly.
 

Kjbartolotta

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I can't even begin to fathom the stress and anxiety kids face these days, so yes, there's still a market. The big difference seems to be that kids are more concerned with representation and inclusivity than in my day, which show they're alright.

(I don't have kids but hawking YA is my day job)
 

Enlightened

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I think the young people holding demonstrations across the globe, worrying about climate change, is strong evidence they are very uncertain of the future.
 

Roxxsmom

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I teach at a community college and have three teenage nieces. From what I can tell, teens are as anxious about the future and internally conflicted as my generation was (and I was a teen before internet chatrooms even existed).

Some of the things they are anxious about have stayed the same, but I think this generation is more politically aware than Gen X and the early millennials were and are more aware of environmental and social issues overall. I think they're increasingly aware that they're maturing in a world where the climate is changing, where they are likely to graduate from college (if they are going) with crushing debt, and where future job security is very uncertain. They don't take upward mobility for granted.

Many also seem to have different relationships with their parents than most in my generation did. They seem more accepting of their parents being very involved in their lives and schedules, but again, this doesn't mean there aren't conflicts.

That doesn't mean there isn't conflict or difficulties with parents, though. They may be fighting about different particulars, such as parents attempting to limit screen time or even having to put pressure on their kids to get their drivers' licenses (my cousin tells me her 16-year-old son is actually very anxious about the prospect of learning to drive and has little interest in getting his license--that's a change from the days of my youth, when the parents were anxious and the teens were keen on driving).

And as has always been the case, the stresses a particular person is under will also depend on their family's socioeconomic status, culture, gender, orientation, religion and so on. When I was young, most stories for teens featured middle to upper middle class white protagonists with educated parents living in well-off neighborhoods. Since I come from this background myself, it wasn't until I started teaching at colleges where students came from more diverse backgrounds that I fully realized the range of issues young adults have to deal with. I have young adults in my classes who have to help take care of their parents, rather than their parents taking care of them.
 
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K.P. Iris

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(my cousin tells me her 16-year-old son is actually very anxious about the prospect of learning to drive and has little interest in getting his license--that's a change from the days of my youth, when the parents were anxious and the teens were keen on driving).

I kinda understand the sentiment here. I’ve been driving my car for 15 years and I’m anxious about the day it’ll die on my way to work. I know that I’m not in the best financial situation I want to be for a new car purchase.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Seeing all these young people on social media does give me some ideas on how to handle character development.