This Economist article talks about how teens are drinking less, getting into less trouble and having less sex than 20 years ago perhaps because their social needs are being met through technology. Parents are able to supervise their teens more now than ever with constant access to technology like location and data tracking apps.
“Social media allow teenagers’ craving for contact with peers to be squared with parents’ desire to keep their offspring safe and away from harmful substances… Teenagers who communicate largely online can exchange gossip, insults and nude pictures, but not bodily fluids, blows, or bottles of vodka.”
Studies are finding that teen may be slower to move out, make money and get married as a result of delayed maturity. “What looks to older generations like indolence and a reluctance to grow up might be, at least in part, a response to medical developments.”