In the old days, teenagers played a secondary role in the society. They never assumed any responsibility nor was it offered. The elders usually played all the important roles and the youth was made legally responsible only after they attained certain age. In many matters, the decision of the elders was final.



Today's teenagers, in general, have the right to obtain education. In my opinion, only the educations can increase the literacy among the teenagers and hence teenagers will have a wider range of communication. Why does communication seem to be so important? For your information, by communicating with others, we can actually exchange our ideas with them. Isn't good for us? On the contrary, if we do not obtain education, we definitely cannot communicate well with others. This will lead to misunderstanding which subsequently leads to quarrels or even wars. Hence, teenagers have the responsibility to study and complete their given tasks, homework or assignment.

In addition, teenagers have the right to participate in family, cultural and social life. Teenagers should learn to mix well with others be it a Malay, a Chinese or an Indian. For example, teenagers should be actively involved in the activities held in the residential areas such as 'gotong-royong'. Besides, teenagers are also responsible to help around the house. To illustrate, they can help in the household chores such as sweeping and mopping the floor, wiping the window, wash the clothes and others. These can help to shape the teenagers to be more responsible and be more independent.

Nowadays, the teenagers appear to be revolting throughout the world. On top of that, teenagers today succumb to various influences. For instance, moral values and graciousness, in the past, were prominent in most teenagers. However, these moral values and self-discipline hold by the teenagers are gradually diminishing over the years. This lack of self-discipline and self control is becoming more and more apparent over time. Even the simplest of morals say, respect, care and consideration are fading away over the years. In particular, a simple display of respect like offering the elderly a seat on the bus is being replaced by other violent acts.

Furthermore, teenagers today tend to lead a modern lifestyle as compared to the teenagers in the past. Unlike those days, teenagers are forced to stay at home playing all kinds of simple games; teenagers today have variety of choice or games, for example, computer games. Teenagers too, seem to like the same kind of things and adopt similar fashions. In particular, walkman and modern hand phones seem to be inseparable for the teenagers. The long hairstyle of the teenagers of the western countries has also become very common in our country. Moreover, teenagers today often staying up late or even involving in social ills. It's very sad to hear that the percentage of teenagers involved in social ills is increasing. Hence, some actions must be taken to stop the teenagers from continue to abuse themselves.

In a nutshell, teenagers, the cream of the society, must not be allowed to move on the path of destruction. The home and the school have a tremendous responsibility in shaping the character of the teenagers. The teenagers need people to advise them, guide them, and to lead and show them the path of righteous and enjoyable activities. The correct directions given to teenagers can help them to be good and useful men of tomorrow.