Both older and younger

As kids are growing older faster, youth is also lasting longer

When I watch a programme like Indian Idol Junior (and other such talent shows), I am amazed by the young talent in India. Their singing and dancing make one feel proud. It is good to see platforms that help unearth talent and give opportunities to kids from different strata of our towns. Yet, it raises the question: is it right to expose children at this early age to both the fame and the traumas of public competition? No doubt we live in a competitive world, where parents and teachers are increasingly gearing children up to face the attendant challenges and find their feet. However, such platforms also push kids to mature faster and behave like adults. Is it a good thing?

We live in a world where youngsters are growing older faster. Tweens (10- to 12-year-olds) behave like teenagers, and teenagers behave as though they were young adults. Interestingly, I did a presentation on teenagers to a client in 2003, and one about tweens to another client in 2013. It seemed that much of what one said about tweens in 2013 was what one said about teenagers in 2003. Today’s tweens are glamour-struck — they look up to and behave like their celebrity role models. They don’t like kiddy talk; they want to be treated as adults. They prefer negotiation and being counselled, rather than being told to do things. Pester power is giving way to smarter ways of getting what one wants.

This has been aided by the easing of the parent-child relationship; children are treated as “adults” earlier in life in the name of “friendly” parenting. “Don’t scold: explain” is the norm of modern parenting. Similarly, growing transparency and openness in society through both mass and digital media have had their own effects. Tweens are increasingly aware of their sexuality and have boyfriends and girlfriends — a phenomenon that earlier happened only in college. They are more socially conscious, want to be seen as “cool” and become popular — which means being the centre of attention in their peer group. These characteristics were earlier associated with the mid- and late-teen years.

Similarly, teenagers are becoming more focused and are behaving like adults. With increasing competitive pressures, the preparation for adult life is starting at a young age. While college is a time for fun and games, it’s also when students should plan early and focus on how to move forward in life. Working during college vacations – even as an intern for no pay – is slowly becoming a norm. It is a way of both experiencing and checking out what could be right for you, and building biodata of value early in life to have a competitive edge when applying to schools of your choice in future. This forcible early ageing has its downside too. Lifestyle diseases such as hypertension and sleep disorders are finding their way to younger people. And the joys of childhood and adolescence are declining slowly, but surely.

Are kids losing their innocence (and their world of freedom and discovery) too early? Are we going against the course of Mother Nature? It’s interesting to note that a brand in Europe is actually working on a campaign beseeching society to “let kids be kids”. Is it time for such a campaign in India? If yes, it will require us to turn full circle from what worked in the 1990s and the first decade of this millennium — bring out the child in every adult.

As kids are maturing faster, it’s fascinating to note the trend of people staying younger longer. The teenage years were the age of freedom, when people could do whatever they wanted. It was the age when you experimented, you lived life to the fullest, and you let your hair down. You were willing to be crazy and mad, and you lived a self-indulgent life. It was also the age when you wanted to look good and went the extra mile to get noticed. It was the age of playing pranks and forming tribes. It was the sweetest spot for brands.

This now seems to be extending to young adulthood. With people getting married late and coming into money with little responsibility, young adulthood is today’s period of freedom. In fact, marriage – which was considered a black hole in the 1990s, as it meant responsibility – is no longer the defining dead end. Young couples are delaying their first child to extend the honeymoon period. Motherhood is no longer a dead end for young women — many work hard to retain their youthful looks after childbirth.

The slew of anti-ageing products has just tapped into this change and facilitated the trend of people staying young longer. Greater informality in the workplace has taken pranks and fun into offices — even if done differently from what could happen in college. Greater intergenerational comfort has meant that, as people get older, they no longer want to break away from their parents to establish their identity. Parents are the source of both comfort and knowledge for the migrant youth. And where parents are around, working youngsters – even post-marriage – are comfortable staying with them. It seems a smart thing to do; it gives youngsters’ disposable income greater spending power and allows them the freedom to lead “fuller” lives without the constraints of running a household. Traditional “child” products such as health food and milk are becoming more acceptable to young adults, as they see the health benefits of consuming such products in their otherwise junk food-filled lives. Backpacking trips, traditionally the territory of youth, are now undertaken even by adult groups: excursions are becoming adventure breaks for the footloose money-earning adult who is seeking a break from his high-pressure professional life. Not surprisingly, it is often said that 40 is the new 30.

The one big implication of this trend is that marketers and communicators should understand that people, as they grow older, are becoming more comfortable with themselves and not everyone wants to relive their “youth” — which is most often thought of as teenage years and early 20s. As freedom extends to later periods, maturing with age doesn’t mean turning serious and missing out on the fun in life. Something worth thinking about.

The writer is vice-chairman, Ogilvy and Mather, India. Views are personal.
madhukar.sabnavis@ogilvy.com