A study says today's teenagers are growing up more slowly than before. Researchers looked at data on the behaviour of 8 million teens in seven different countries over the past 40 years. They said that compared to teenagers from the 70s, 80s and 90s, today's teens, "are taking longer to engage in both the pleasures and the responsibilities of adulthood". A professor said: "The whole developmental pathway has slowed down." She said today's 18-year-olds are more like how 15-year-olds used to be. She said teenagers are taking a lot fewer risks than they did before.
Today's teenagers are taking longer to do things their parents did. They are older when they date, less likely to work part-time, and less likely to drive. The professor said they have a, "slow life strategy". More teenagers are living with their parents instead of renting their own room. One of the reasons for this behaviour is how much time teenagers spend online. The Internet is keeping teens on social media, looking at videos or playing games instead of living in the "real world". Another reason is parents do too much for their children and protect them too much.