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Teenagers have no obvious right to spaces of their own. They often have nowhere else to go except outdoor public places, where they often come into conflict with other groups. This article explores this dilemma. Based on empirical studies in Sweden, the article describes how teenagers use public spaces in their local environments to create meaning and context in their existence. It indicates which places they use, what characterizes these places, and how teenagers use them. Variation and variety in the structures and environments of places mean that the local field of activity cannot always be encompassed by traditional generalizing theories. Knowledge of the significance of local variations in the identity construction and action strategies of youth thus becomes an important link in understanding and interpreting the postmodern society.

Alcohol abuse is a widespread problem in American families. Families of all social, economic and educational subgroups suffer from alcohol abuse by parents. Because of the widespread problems of alcoholism, families with deaf children are also victims of alcohol abuse. Even though hearing children suffer greatly from parental abuse of alcohol, they are not as ill-equipped as deaf teenagers to deal with the problem. By in large, there are three reasons why deaf children are less able than hearing children to deal with the familiy problems created by parental alcohol abuse.

A group of blind and partially sighted teenagers were interviewed, at the end of 12-year longitudinal study of cognitive development and school achievement, about their current interests and their aspirations for the future. The study began when the participants were five years of age. The topics discussed included their opinions about schooling, what they did in their free time, their career ambitions, expectations about marriage and family life, medical advances that might affect them, the attitudes of society at large toward visually impaired people, and their thoughts about the kind of world they will inhabit as adults. The present paper focuses upon vocational aims, marriage, and recreational activities. The authors infer that, with a few exceptions, the views of these young people do not mark them out as obviously different from their fully sighted peers.

Reports research from the Future Foundation which shows that teenagers are basically very satisfied with their lives; they realise that living standards on the whole have never been better. Outlines the research methods, which used interviews with 500 13‐18 year olds living with their parents in the UK, plus four focus groups in different parts of the country. Finds that school is the dominant concern in teenagers' lives, although they are not always satisfied that it prepares them for adult life; there is no clear generation gap between teenagers and parents, and parents take a strong interest in their teenage children: families are now more open and democratic than they used to be. Concludes that popular myths about teenage rebellion and resentment are untrue, and that most teenagers have close and supportive relationships with siblings and older family members.

AbstractThe importance of the symbolic properties of goods has been explored in depth among adult consumers, but there has been less attention given to the symbolic consumption of young people. This study explores the subject of symbolic consumption with specific reference to clothing in the teenage market. Thirty‐eight young people were interviewed, and age, sex and social position variations were considered. The results of this study suggest that conspicuous consumption is relevant for young people, and that they are a group which is adept at reading the signals represented in clothing choices. The authors found that the clothes choices made by young people are closely bound to their self‐concept, and are used both as a means of self‐expression and as a way of judging the people and situations they face. Evidence was also found that clothing has a function in role fulfilment, making the wearer more confident and capable. Overall, clothing can be viewed as an essential social tool in the lives of teenagers. Copyright © 2004 Henry Stewart Publications Ltd.