Teens and Money

Teens and Money

By: Stephanie Clinton

Teenagers have no idea what the value of hard work is now-a-days. They mooch and squander up as many pennies as the can in order to buy what they “need”. But what exactly is it that they need? And why do they believe they need such a thing? Well media is always a source to blame, but what else? Why do teenagers spend their money on such useless things.

In older days, if a kid wanted to buy something, they would pull out Dad’s old wood and piece themselves together a lemonade stand, or else mow their lawn and all their neighbors lawns. Now though, teenagers simply whine and plead and scream in order to get the “hottest” new thing they “simply must” have. Parents give in because… well, they have no other choice. Once a person sees something they want, and sees that other people have it, then they want it too, and will do everything—but work hard---to get it.

Who do we blame for this behavior? Well, since the invention of the television there have been great changed to the marketing world. Advertisements and those annoying breaks in between your favorite shows or, especially, Christmas movies, so called commercials, are trying harder and harder to market toward kids to make them want something they do not have the means—AKA, money—to get.

Consider the highly popular Call of Duty games. When the most recent one came out, thousands of teenagers and young adults alike cut class and called in sick to work for days in order to stand in line and play the game the second it came out. Why this obsession? Obviously the high success rating of its predecessor, but also the feeling of vitality; that if they did not get this game the second it came out they would be “out of the loop” and forever so, lost in limbo waiting on the next Call of Duty to come out, making sure that this time they would lead the pack.

Some teenagers do get jobs. These though, seem to not spend as much money on mundane things. They are too busy working to play video games. They get free meals from their job or at home, and they keep up a good amount of savings. This generation is not lost yet, but until teenagers put down the controller and take control of their own lives, they will learn the hard way the value of the dollar in life.