Gone are the days of early deadlines for your child. Now youngsters set out to meet their friends after 9 pm as part of a new phenomenon called ‘late night buddies.’

 The next time you see a bunch of youngsters stepping into a coffee shop after starting out from home around 9 at night or meeting up near the beach, rest assured they have no intention to go back home till the wee hours.

Hollywood teen flick clichés ring true even in real-life campus situations. Stereotypical campus cliques – the jocks, the cheerleaders, the nerds – hang together for ‘safety in numbers’ or to maximise their ‘impact.’ In the unspoken battle for popularity, teens try to acquire a more adult persona. However, a survey carried out by Girlfriend magazine reveals that teenagers believe it more important to be genuinely liked than just be the popular Big Man (or Woman) on campus.
Hanan Ahmed, 17, agrees and she’s been observing, “Each college has its own set of cliques. The popular ones go out of their way to seek attention. They are loud and they show off. Yet indirectly they’re seeking approval even as they project an image of non-conformism and they miss out on enjoying their teen years in most cases.”

In a recent interview, High School Musical star Zac Efron talked about how much he admired the way Rob Pattinson, of Twilight fame, had handled his Hollywood career. Zac himself hoped that he could make a transition to more serious roles in the near future.
Zac isn’t alone in wanting to shift to more mature roles. Teenage stars are increasingly wanting to take the next sensible step in their careers — switch to adult roles. In some cases “adult” has simply meant being more risqué, case in point Britney Spears. But in others, teen stars have managed to make long, successful careers for themselves in Hollywood, outgrowing their childish origins.
Dakota Fanning who began by playing the vulnerable child in such films as I am Sam and War of the Worlds, will now be seen in a more grown-up role in her next film. The Runaways, which also stars Kristen Stewart, is about the first all-girl rock band that became a phenomenon in the US in 1970s. But Dakota has been making heads turn with her “no-longer-a-child” look since last year. “I was shocked when I saw Dakota in New Moon. Until then, I still thought of her as a child actor,” says Sukanya K.C, a college student.
For teen stars looking to make the jump, hope comes in the form of innumerable success stories. There’s Leonardo DiCaprio, seen last in Shutter Island. As a teenager, Leo starred in the gritty drama The Basketball Diaries.
The rest, as they say, is history. Johnny Depp too started fairly young. So did Shahid Kapoor, Ayesha Takia Azmi, Alyssa Milano and a host of others.
Closer to this generation, there’s Jessica Alba. Jessica started her career as a supporting actress on the television show The Secret World of Alex Mack before moving on to Flipper and then, a sought-after actress.
But this generation of actors may make an even smarter move, by picking roles that showcase their aptitude as serious actors. Abigail Breslin, who caught audience attention in Little Miss Sunshine, is a classic example. Playing Helen Keller in on Broadway this month, 13-year-old Abigail has already moved on from the little girl roles she started with.

Rohini NaIr  
The Asian Age

If you thought only young men were indulging in pre-marital sex, you’re certainly wrong. As a shocker for those resisting the introduction of sex-education in schools, it has been revealed that even a higher percentage of young girls have had sex before turning 15. The youth survey conducted under the aegis of the Union health ministry reveals that 24 per cent women against 9 per cent men have had sex before 15. The survey was conducted in six states — Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

Bani, Anmol, Shambhavi and Rhea — what do these girls have in common? All of ‘em are reality show contestants who failed to win the show, but managed to make big names as VJs despite being controversial on their respective shows. Bani was infamous for her tantrums and attitude in Roadies 4, whereas Anmol and Shambhavi were despised by many Roadies fans for their mean behaviour. Rhea, although not very controversial, was overconfident and chose another contestant over her friend when she had to choose the third finalist. Does being mean, badly behaved and throwing attitude help in making you famous? Youngistaanis share their views.

Plan buster is a new term coined by youngsters for spoilsport friends who ditch them at the last minute or who call in at the 11th hour to cancel on a movie plan. Every group of friends has a couple of people who play the “plan spoilers,” say  youngsters.

Mobile phones are very much a part of the teenage stereotype — a surly, trendy, pre-adult, furiously texting or posing for phone-pics or answering an annoyingly hip ring tone with a too-loud barrage of enthusiastic greetings. So it’s no surprise to discover that despite a ban on mobile phones on college campuses, cell phones are very much in use and increasingly nefarious for their potential for abuse.

Artiste: Brown

He looks like he’s invoking Elvis with his quiff and soulful eyes and folks hear all sorts of past-ghosts in his music — good ghosts though — Nick Drake, Buddy Holly, Nick Lowe, Roy Orbison. It’s true, Brown has that dreamy, slightly melancholic sort of vocals where even a hopeful song like Love Will Find You is likely to make you tear up if it plays on your iPod on your commute to work (listen for a sample of Phil Spector’s Be My Baby drumbeat on the track).

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards, the biggest night in Hollywood, didn’t look a day over 20. All thanks to a number of teenage stars who had a dominant presence at the ceremony which was held in Los Angeles on Sunday. It was clear sign of acceptance of the next generation, as teenage favourites like Kristen Stewart, Amanda Seyfried, Anna Kendrick, Taylor Lautner, Zac Efron and Miley Cyrus walked the red carpet and even presented awards. This was Zac’s second time as presenter.

The character played by Madhavan in Three Idiots, which shows how he wanted to pursue photography as a career but opted to be an engineer as his parents wanted him to be one, is something many youngsters can relate to. Many teens today share how they find it hard to choose between chasing their dreams and fulfilling their parents’ wishes while choosing their professions.
Ekta Singh, a 19-year-old dental student, who always wanted to be an IAS officer, went into medicine as her dad wanted a doctor in the family. “Seeing his friends’ daughters growing up and becoming doctors, he always wanted me to be one. Even though I was asked to choose subjects for Class 12, it was already decided that I would take up science and had no choice but to pursue dentistry. Back then I couldn’t muster enough courage to put forward my career choice, but now I have made up my mind. After finishing my internship, I am planning to prepare for the civil services, which I always wanted to do,” she adds.
Unlike Ekta, there are others who initially didn’t defy their parents on the professional front, but later went on to do what they were passionate about. Parantap Singh, who’s now pursuing a filmmaking course from FTII, Pune, initially joined an engineering college due to parental pressure. “In my family, boys are always encouraged to be engineers and there was no room for any argument. But I decided to do really badly in my exams. So I flunked twice in my first semester and that very year I got a call from the film school. My dad had no choice but to send me there,” he shares.
But some prefer to go with the flow to save themselves from the “emotional atyachar”. Shobhit Sujay, who is studying law, always wanted to be a writer but couldn’t as he had to follow his family legacy and be an advocate. “It would have been a crime had I told my family that I want to write and not pursue law. Even my grandfather and his dad were lawyers. So, I thought it better to join this field. Now, I often keep writing blogs and I’m hoping to take up freelance writing to keep my passion alive,” he adds.
Rohit Dua, who is a football player as his dad was one, says pursing the same career as his dad shaped his future well. “Ever since I was young I was trained to be a football player and I enjoyed it too and it soon became my aim to excel in this field. Besides this, I am pursuing psychology as I always wanted to study the subject and my parents respected my decision,” he sums up.

Swati Vishnoi
The Asian Age