When the "generation gap" turns into rivalry or all-out war between children and adults.
Often goes hand-in-hand with
Adults Are Useless. See also
Teenage Wasteland.
Examples
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Advertising
- This was a pretty common trope in children's advertising during the early-mid 90's (examples would include Frosted Mini Wheats, Hi-C, and even one anti-smoking PSA from 1992-1993).
Film
- Battle Royale 2 goes down this road.
- It also occurred in the backstory of the original.
- Children of the Damned/Corn.
- While it's only two adults and two children, Little Sweetheart is a prime example. Two bank robber criminals vs. two blackmailing, stalking, thieving little girls.
- The 1968 film Wild In The Streets has the voting age lowered to 14; the 24-year-old rock star subsequently elected President then has everyone over 30 put in re-education camps.
- The film ends on a punchline suggesting a Full-Circle Revolution when the young president pisses off a couple of 7-year olds.
Literature
- "The Grandfathers' War", one of Murray Leinster's Med Ship stories, featured a war between generations (although the younger was of the age of maturity).
- Stanley Kiesel's novels The War Between The Pitiful Teachers and the Splendid Kids and Skinny Malinky Leads the War for Kidness take this trope quite literally.
Live Action TV
Western Animation
- Codename Kids Next Door has this as the premise.
- Happens now and again in Recess.
- An episode of The Simpsons had the adults enforcing a curfew, and the kids rebelling against it by broadcasting all their dirty secrets. Partially subverted in that, during the grand finale song and dance number, the elderly got in on the fight and won, forcing everyone under fifty to adhere to the curfew, allowing them free roam of the streets.
- Some South Park episodes have this.
