Contrast the nature of free time for adolescents at the beginning of the twentieth century with that of free time for adolescents today. Explain the differences between the two time periods. Give an example of how a typical, well-adjusted, modern-day adolescent spends his or her time.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A strong answer will note that at the beginning of the twentieth century most adolescents had relatively little free time because most adolescents had already left school for the workforce. Since that time, the rise of compulsory schooling and the increasing affluence of Americans has created a situation in which adolescents stay in school longer, are effectively barred from full-time work, and have fewer incentives to work part time. This means that today's adolescents have considerably more free time than those of 100 years ago. Modern-day adolescents tend to split this time between some combination of academics, part-time work, social activities, and media use. An example of a well-adjusted adolescent follows: Gloria is a very busy 9th grader-she has a part-time babysitting job, plays flute in her school's orchestra, has friends over frequently, and keeps up with all of her homework and household chores.

Key Points:

a) American adolescents have more free time today than at the beginning of the twentieth century.

b) The increase in free time for adolescents is attributable to the rise in compulsory schooling and other societal changes that limit adolescent participation in the workforce.

c) Well-adjusted adolescents tend to be busy and to engage in a range of different activities.