21 and adult! Think again.
A recent study published in The Lancet says that there is an alteration to the adolescent age. Adolescence no longer lasts from 10 to 19 instead it has an extended cultural phase lasting up to 24 years of age. [1]
“Adolescence is the phase of life stretching between childhood and adulthood, and its definition has long posed a conundrum. Adolescence encompasses elements of biological growth and major social role transitions, both of which have changed in the past century,” expressed lead study author Dr. Sawyer and her team in the study.
Initially, the word ‘adolescence’ was considered synonymous with word ‘teens’. However, with the dawn of the digital era, societal pressures, and overambitious generation; those two words can no longer be considered identical. In fact, the term ‘Millennial’, ‘Generation Y’, and ‘Next Generation’ are taking the wave of new-world.
“Earlier puberty in parallel with a delayed timing of role transitions, including completion of education, marriage, and parenthood, continue to shift popular perceptions of when adulthood begins,” stated the researchers from Melbourne’s Centre for Adolescent Health in their report.
A survey by Deloitte [2] shows that millennials expect to be both financially (71%) and emotionally (62%) better off than their parents. Since 1968, there has been a drastic drop from 56% to 23% in the number of 18 to 31-year-olds getting married and living in a house of their own. Not just marriage, the next generation is also putting a delay to parenthood. They believe in sharing over ownership. Be it carpooling, Air BnB, or freelancing; they believe in the power of sharing the economy, as stated by Goldman Sachs [3]. Millennials don’t consider materialistic things as their assets. Instead, it is the experiences they live by such as traveling across borders, fulfilling their passionate desires or hobbies, and living life on their own terms.
