Teenage shows misleading?

Question

How come all the shows on ABC Family and Disney with teenagers and in the movies make it seem like it's so fun to be 16? Like you can go to parties on the beach anytime you want to, and date any person you want. Everything is always fun and flirty and all the hot girls are not stuck up. Meanwhile, being 16 in real life is just, well, plain boring. I used to watch shows like that when I was like 9 and always thought "Yea! Being 16 is awesome I want to be a teenager! Yay!" And when I reached that age it was really no different sort of funny.

Answer 1

all of television is misleading. from sitcoms to the teenage shows you speak of, to the news to man vs wild. the only true television is sports television.

Answer 2

Well, you've answered your own question, haven't you? Television shows choose to demonstrate the fun, hip, cool side of being a teenager- parties, friends, boys, etc. They don't show the boring, tough, and sometimes sad side of being a teenager. They do this because that would be really boring to watch- think about it: you're watching television, and have a choice between Hannah Montana and One Tree Hill. Which would be more entertaining? One Tree Hill, naturally, because it's more entertaining! I do wish that shows were more realistic, but unfortunately, I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon. The only "teenage" show that I've ever seen come close to that is Gilmore Girls, but even that was slightly unrealistic. Yeah, being a teenager isn't all it's cracked up to be, huh? :-)