Tweenage culture

This article is taken from the notes provided for the seminar 'Understanding Tweenage Culture' at the 2009 Children's Ministry Conference in Eastbourne given by Nick Harding

Tweenagers are roughly defined as 9-13 year olds. Once these would have been considered children. Previous youth issues are now problems for tweenagers. Puberty and adolescence start earlier but as tweenagers, begin to experience physical maturity they are still emotional immature. This is a time of transition in all areas of life.

The following statistics illustrate the culture of tweenagers.
Statistics always carry a caution – and much of this could be worse!

Dangers

Substance abuse – smoking, drinking, sniffing, drugs are all showing a slight increase.
It is still illegal for a shop to sell cigarettes to under 16s but...
4% of 11 year olds smoke regularly; 10% 11-15s smoke regularly.
More girls than boys smoke as it can suppress the appetite.

5% of 11-12s sniffed substances.
Substance sniffing generally leads to a pattern of drug abuse.

Drug dealers target all areas and communities:
18% of 11s and under have been offered drugs.
10% of 11-14s will have taken drugs in the last month.

Alcohol abuse on the increase – what example do tweenagers get?
10% of 10 year olds get drunk regularly.

Child abuse
Most child abuse is committed by adults / peers known to the child:
‘Stranger Danger’ may be unhelpful.
1 in 6 abused by age 18.
Up to 25% of abuse is by young people on young people.
52% of victims go on to abuse.
Grooming, nurture, and on-line activity:
One set of research – male abusers reported an average of 56 victims.
Only 5% of reported abuse ends with a court prosecution.

Crime

Criminal age of responsibility is 10 years old.
Crime statistics are to include under 16s for the first time.
10-12 years old is the most common age for first-time offending.
25% of 10-15s self-reported committing a crime.
3% of 10 year olds have criminal record (2003).
10% of young people who had behavioural problems went on to criminal violence (2001).
Types of crime including violence and knife crime put tweenagers at greater risk.

But tweenagers who don’t offend are not likely to in the future.

Schools

98% of children attend school - the meeting of two worlds: children find clashing cultures difficult.

Teachers and other adults - relationship and personality clashes, lack of consistency and continuity.

Change of gear at transition from primary to secondary education.

Behavioural issues due to system / puberty / peer group.

Tweenagers face a testing and achievement culture in schools.
Inspections – OFSTED / SIAS – pressures felt by students.
Testing and targets – the proportion of pupils exceeding the expected level declines as children get older.

Punishment – exclusion 35 in every 1000 pupils, 13-14 year olds have the highest rate.
Tweenagers are most likely to be excluded.
Tweenagers who get into a truancy habit are likely to continue truancy.

Bullying and anti-bullying measures – peak age for bullying is 10.

Schools should be positive places.

Relationships

Friends
What does friendship mean in a digital culture?
Need to belong to a community, yet fear of danger results in restrictions on physical community so virtual community takes over.
‘Cash rich, time poor’ lifestyle results in material wealth by a poverty of carer love.
Many busy children are lonely.
Pressure to pair up and become intimate – boyfriend / girlfriends (‘I’m happy when I’m snogging my girlfriend’).

Sexual experimentation
Wider acceptance that young people will become sexually active earlier.
Debate about the pros and cons of sex education.
Poor role models - media portrayal of relationships, casual sex, and experimentation.
Sexual activity – 70% by 16.
Teenage pregnancy – 400 under 14s (2004), 251 terminated.
No statistics on teenage fathers, but there have been cases aged 11 and 12.
STDs – 1995-2003 200% increase.
Adolescents often go through a ‘gay’ phase.

Home tensions

Family splits:
70% of divorces affect children under 10 (2002) - divorce or separation not always a bad thing!
20% of children are in one-parent homes (2001) - one parent homes does not mean that there is never another adult there.
The role of men in many communities sets a bad example to tweenagers.

Domestic violence.

Young carers.

Home culture and peer culture can be at odds.

Media

TV and DVD a major influence on children and young people – 23 hours of TV per week (2001)
Programmes designed for adults are most popular with tweenagers – Eastenders most popular with tweenagers, also Hollyoaks, Skins, Shameless.

Music, videos – lyrics and music are not always appropriate.

Magazines contain images and content that is not age-appropriate.

Computer games can contain violence, sexual content, and aggression – 50% of children (7+) have access to a computer at home (2004).

Social networking – Facebook, Bebo, YouTube, BlogTV...
Opens up new ‘relationships’ – change in the nature of ‘friendship’.
Uninhibited communication.
Use of language and innuendo.
Ability to see and offer images – 11% of girls 13-16 have uploaded nude/semi-nude images – images are there forever....
Giving away information and personal details – risk of being ‘groomed’.

Tweenagers are targets for advertising and media manipulation:
7-15 year olds spent on average £12.30 per week (2001).

Image

Many children have concerns about their body image.
Images portrayed in magazines and the media add pressure.
Boys can also suffer from body image concerns.
33% of children are worried about their body image by age 10 (‘we are working with children as young as 6,’ Rhodes Farm).

Obesity on the rise nationally.

Cult of celebrity:
Leads to unattainable expectations: instant success ideals – what is the result for the unsuccessful?

Image issues for children who have been abused.

Bullying and insults.

Tweenage culture: how can the church respond?

4% of children up to 11 attend church on Sundays
11% of children have contact with church at some point each week

The church has to work hard to accompany children as they become young adults. This is not helped by the attitude of the church to the young, the transitions and hurdles the church places in the way (styles of worship, use of building…) and the patronising attitude to young people having valid and meaningful roles in the church. Tweenagers need a group of peers around them – if that is not there, they will struggle to cope.

We need to go where they are…

Inevitably most tweenagers won’t willingly come to church, so we have a responsibility to go to them.

Schools

Community

Sports and cultural activities

In order to develop and maintain trust we have to be consistent and reliable. We must keep our promises.

We need to meet practical needs…

Work with others (agencies, local authority, other churches…) in identifying where the gaps are in your community, and aim to full those gaps.

After-school clubs

Community work

Support for families

We need to get and stay in touch with their culture…