As Thomas Hine writes in American Heritage, “Young people became teenagers because we had nothing better for them to do. We began seeing them not as productive but as gullible consumers.” This phenomenon started around the turn of the previous century, but it has only accelerated, especially in recent years..

More responsibility brings both competence and confidence. Less responsibility does the opposite, and that probably has something to do with the outbreak of anxiety and other mental illnesses among teens today. By sheltering teens, we weaken them.

I suspect that camps and swimming pools have survived as they used to be largely due to a combination of tradition and need for cheap labor. But we’d be better off if there were more places where teenagers could exercise some responsibility, and now I’m wondering how we might manage that.