Teens Back Then vs. Teens Today: What’s Different, What’s The Same, and What The Data Shows.
- The White Hatter
- Aug 6
- 7 min read
Caveat - The author of this article was raised as a youth and teen in the 1970’s 1980’s and 1990’s.
If you’re a parent or caregiver who grew up in the 1970s ’80s, or 90’s, often referenced as the Boomer generation by today’s youth, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing things were better, simpler or safer “back then.” Some of the most common comments we hear from the Boomer generation are, “social media didn’t exist”, “you played outside until the streetlights came on”, “school was something you showed up for”, and “kids seemed more respectful”.
We decided to compare today’s youth to the Boomer generation of the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, and what we found sheds a different light than the memes and headlines would have you believe. Let’s take a closer look at what’s different, what’s the same, and what the data and history really shows in some key metrics.
Teen Suicide
Back in the late 1970s, ’80s, and 90’s Canada’s suicide rate for teens aged 15–19 hovered between 12 and 16 per 100,000, with boys at much higher risk than girls. (1) Today, while the overall national suicide rate has declined, about 9-11 per 100,000, mental health professionals are rightly sounding alarms about rising self-harm, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among adolescents, especially amongst teen girls (2)
In the United States, suicide rates have been falling since 2017, reaching a lower rate in 2022 than in the 1980’s and 1990’s (3)(4) The prevalence of serious suicidal thoughts in 12 to 17 year olds over the past four years fell nearly 13% in 2021 to 10% in 2024, and the prevalence of suicide attempts by teens also fell slightly, from 3.6% to 2.7%. (5)
So, are more teens dying by suicide now than before? Not necessarily across the board, but the mental health burden they are carrying today does appear to be heavier and more complex, which is still very concerning. (6)
Bottom line: The numbers may not always be higher today, but the risk factors and warning signs have become harder to ignore.
While many traditional risk behaviours are down, mental health concerns are up. Today’s youth are reporting higher levels of anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and loneliness than previous generations. However, the emotional, psychological, physical, and social challenges today, are also different than what was faced in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, such as:
Structural Pressures
Inflation and cost of living
Rising student debt
Unstable housing and youth homelessness
Food insecurity in lower-income households
The climate crisis and climate anxiety
Polarized political discourse
Racial and gender-based discrimination
Increased reporting of abuse and systemic inequality
how AI is changing the traditional job market
Family and Community Factors
Higher rates of family violence, separation, and divorce
Parental job loss or instability
Increases in parental distress
Loss of caregivers during COVID-19
Decline in outside play and community youth programs
Individual and Social Pressures
Social comparison through digital platforms
Academic pressure to perform
Mental health stigma, though lessening, still present
Relationship navigation in both digital and real spaces
Fewer close peer friendships and increased loneliness
The causes of mental health challenges and suicidal ideations is multifactorial, to blame it solely on technology, the internet, and social media is just not the case as some want you to believe. (6) However, it would be accurate to say that is does play a role for some youth and teens. The real question should be, “why are most youth doing well, while a smaller cohort are not?”
Bottom line: Mental health is the area where today’s youth and teens need the most support. They’re achieving more personally, but some are also carrying more emotional weight caused by a multitude of confounding factors. However, what is concerning, a recently released US study found that over the past 4 years only 60% of teens experiencing depression got treatment (7), a sad statistic.
School Dropouts and Graduation Rates
In the 1970s, ’80s, and 90’s the high school dropout rates were significantly higher than today. Roughly one in four young people didn’t graduate. (8)(9) Today, Canada’s national high school graduation rate is closer to 84–89%. (10)(11)(12)
More youth today are completing high school, and more are going on to college and university. Post secondary participation has more than doubled compared to the Boomer generation, with university enrolment alone seeing massive growth since the 1980s as you will read.
Bottom line: Today’s teens are more likely to graduate from high school and attend post secondary education than any previous generation in Canadian history.
Post Secondary Attendance
In the 1970s and early ’80s, fewer than 20% of Canadian youth attended college or university. (13) Today, that number is well over 50%, with many students heading directly to university after high school. (14)
While this reflects greater access and opportunity, it also brings higher expectations and financial stress. More youth are getting degrees, but they’re also taking on more debt and facing tougher job markets.
Bottom line: Post secondary attendance has skyrocketed, but it’s brought new challenges alongside new opportunities.
Teen Crime and Violence
Youth violence in the 1980s and early 1990s was significantly higher than it is today. Juvenile arrests peaked in the early ’90s, while Canada’s violent crime rate overall hit its highest point in 1991. Since then, youth crime rates, including violent offences, have dropped dramatically. (15)
Despite how media can sometimes portray things, today’s teens are less likely to commit crimes, be arrested, or engage in physical violence than teens in 70’s and 80’s.
Bottom line: The data is clear, youth crime and violence have decreased substantially since the ’70s, ’80s, and 90’s.
Teen Drug and Alcohol Use
In the 1980s, youth drug arrests were rising, and substance use, including alcohol, marijuana, and harder drugs, was a growing concern. Today, the picture is different, but not necessarily better.
Today's youth and teen substance use patterns have shifted. Vaping, prescription misuse, and cannabis use are now front and center. The opioid crisis has also brought a new layer of risk, especially in some communities. (16)(17) However, overall teen drug use today is not significantly higher than it was decades ago, and in some cases, it's lower.
That said, some substance use among teens, particularly alcohol and cigarettes, has declined. A national survey in recent years found that fewer teens today drink or smoke compared to the youth of the 1980s and 1990’s (18) However, it should also be noted that vaping both nicotine and marijuana products has increased (19)
Bottom line: The types of drugs have changed, rates of use have dropped, but the risks of teen substance use remain. Education, support, and early intervention are still essential.
Teen Pregnancy
One of the most dramatic improvements over the past few decades is the drop in teen pregnancy rates. In 1975, there were over 53 pregnancies per 1,000 girls aged 15–19. (20) By 2020, that number had dropped to about 8.4 births per 1,000. (21)
Better access to contraception, more comprehensive sex education both online and off line, and changing social norms have all played a role. Today’s teens are not only less likely to get pregnant, they’re also starting sexual activity later than previous generations.
However, the progress is not uniform. Teen pregnancy rates remain higher in some rural and Indigenous communities where access to reproductive healthcare is more limited. (22)
Bottom line: Teen pregnancy has declined sharply for most Canadian teens, reflecting real progress in public health and youth decision-making.
Teen Vehicle Accidents:
As mentioned, when comparing today’s generation of younger drivers to those from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990's, there are several important differences. One notable improvement is the significant decrease in teen motor vehicle fatalities. In past decades, car crashes were one of the leading causes of death for teenagers, with much higher rates than we see today. Drunk driving was also far more common among youth during that era, reflecting different cultural attitudes toward alcohol and driving. (23)(24)(25)
Bottom line: Teen deaths from vehicle accidents have declined sharply for most Canadian and American teens today, compared to teen drivers in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s.
However, while progress has been made in teen driving fatalities, new challenges have emerged. One of the most pressing is the rise in distracted driving, particularly due to cellphone use. (26) Unlike in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990’s today’s teens are growing up with mobile technology, and many struggle with the temptation to check messages, scroll social media, or respond to notifications while behind the wheel. This has led to a noticeable increase in distracted driving incidents among younger drivers, and it continues to be a leading safety concern on the roads.
It’s easy to fall into nostalgia and assume that things were better “back in the day.” But when we look at the above noted metrics, a different story emerges.
When today’s teens are compared to past generations, we have found that most are:
More likely to graduate high school
More likely to pursue post secondary education
Less likely to commit crimes
Less likely to get pregnant
Less likely to get into a fatal car accident
Less likely to drink and use illicit drugs
More open about mental health
More aware of the world around them
More likely to ask for help (when help is available)
It’s easy to romanticize the past, especially when today’s onlife world feels overwhelming to us adults. However, when we look at the data, the truth is more nuanced than some what you to believe. Today’s teens who are living with and using technology are more educated, less violent, and far less likely to drop out or get pregnant than the Boomer generation.
However, there are also other challenges that youth face today given the introduction of technology that were not present in the past such as increased risk taking that can lead to injury, higher risks to misinformation and disinformation, sleep challenges caused by tech, access to age and developmentally inappropriate content, and body image challenges to name a few.
The best way forward isn’t to judge today’s youth by yesterday’s standards. It’s to meet them where they are today, with facts, not fear. Your kids don’t need to be raised the way you were. They need to be raised with the age and developmentally appropriate tools, awareness, and support that match the onlife world they live in now.
Just saying
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
Facts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech
References
2/ https://health-infobase.canada.ca/mental-health/suicide-self-harm/suicide-mortality.html#sm_trends
25/ https://tirf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/YouthandRoadCrashes_MagnitudeCharacteristicsandTrends.pdf
