What is it like

being a teenager
today?
Do you agree with the following statement?
Who do you think said it?

“ The children now love luxury; they have

bad manners, contempt for authority; they
show disrespect for elders and love chatter
in place of exercise. Children are now
tyrants, not the servants of their
households. They no longer rise when
elders enter the room. They contradict their
parents, chatter before company, gobble up
dainties at the table, cross their legs, and
tyrannize their teachers.
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Name the generations

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Generation Z
● Born mid 1990’s to 2000’s.
● Also called digital natives as they have never lived
a life without internet.
● Grew up with easy access to information.
● Prefer to communicate in an image-rich, sharp and
clear way (e.g. emoji, memes).
● Open-minded, self-educated and socially conscious.
● They spend on average 5 - 6 hours a day online.
● Checks social media about 100 times a day.

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 How is being a teenager today
different than it was years ago?
94% of teenagers
have smartphones
Texting is prefered to Importance of
Tend to smoke and drink phone calls authentic uniqueness
less than previous
generations (vaping, Higher obesity rates
however, is on the rise) Decline in teen births

Have poorer emotional health Less likely to fight at

thanks to new media - more school. Exhibit more care for
lonely, anxious, and depressed others and reject
offensive speech
More concerned about social justice. (trigger warnings + safe
spaces)
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What challenges do teens face?
RELATIONSHIPS
• What factors influence your choices
when building new friendships /
relationships?
• What’s the importance of family
relationships?
• How important is it to be healthy?
• How important is it you that your
looks represent your personality?
• How does awareness of your
image impact your wellbeing?
APPEARANCE
CAREER
• Would you say you’re driven by
passion when deciding upon
potential career paths?
• How important is it to you to
know your career goals? What are
they?
How do you practise being
healthy?
• What are the ways you take care
of your mental health?
HEALTH
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Watch the
video and
answer:
What are the ways that generation
Z will change the world according
to experts?

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 Let’s hear from teens around the world.
How are their lives different than yours?
What It's Like To Be A What It's Like To Be What It’s Like To Be What It’s Like To Be
16-Year-Old In Tokyo A 16-Year-Old In A 16-Year-Old In New A 16-Year-Old In
Today Dublin Today York Today BerlinToday

Which perspective are you most interested in?

Choose one to watch!
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PROJECT description
Create a 3 – 4 minute video in groups (3 – 4 people), where you
present your point of view of what is it like being a teenager today.

You may focus on global differences

comparing your experiences with teens around the world

or local aspects

if all group members have diverse backgrounds / attitudes

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The video must present your
unique point of view.
What makes you
different?

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Your video must include at least 3 of
the following topics:
● Perception of culture (including pop culture)
● Access to information (social media, (fake) news)
● Diversity in fashion and style
● Individual passions (hobbies, sports)
● Non-formal education and life online (internet as an
alternative to learning in school)
● Digital life (social media, games, representation of
authenticity online)
● Building relationships
● [You may include a topic of your own choice but it
must be approved by the teacher.]
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Here’s what you
should do
1. Decide upon your 2. Create a list of 3. Come up with the
group (3 – 4 people) features that you main message of the
have in common and video. What do you
the ways that you are want to say?
different.
6. Do additional research if
4. Choose 3 topics 5. Distribute necessary (collect
that you’ll explore in responsibilities: information about teens
detail. ● Director from other countries,
● Script writer interview your friends,
● Editor family members to
● Interviewer? compare experiences /
generational differences).
Who will participate in
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the video?
 Assessment
Criteria Points
• The video explores at least 3 different topics about teenage life – 3p
Content • The video has a beginning, main part and a conclusion – 1p
• The video has both opinions (interviews) and facts (statistical data + sources) – 2p
and
• The authors’ unique point of view is evident in the video, the main message is
8p
structure
clearly stated – 2p

• Language (of intermediate / upper-intermediate level) is used flexibly and

efficiently. The spoken text includes sentences of various structures and
Language appropriate vocabulary has been used accurately. For people speaking in other 5p
languages besides English, subtitles have been added. - 3p
• Evidence of fluent speech, appropriate intonation and pronunciation. -2p

Visual
quality
• The video is engaging and visually stimulating. 3p

Debrief • To be completed after video presentations. 4p

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