Tropes about teenagers, adolescents, and youth as well those in middle/high school and puberty. Set apart by having left elementary school and being filled with hormones but not yet legal adults, they tend to lead adventurous and dramatic lives—at least in fiction.
Some of these can apply to children or adults but because they are named for those who are growing up they go here. If the title has the word child or kid in it then it only counts if by child it means non-adult. Comes after or blends with Youngsters and precedes Adult Tropes. See also School Tropes.
Tropes:
Categories:
- All Periods Are PMS: Irritability during the menstrual cycle.
- Alpha Bitch: A pubescent girl immaturely expresses her insecurities by bullying the nicer girls.
- Bittersweet 17: A 17-year-old in their Coming of Age.
- Bratty Teenage Daughter: A teenage daughter who is whiny and demanding.
- Carload of Cool Kids: A car with the windows down passes by to make harassing remarks to passerbys.
- Child Popstar: A teenager who's famous in the pop music industry.
- A Child Shall Lead Them: A child leads adult society.
- Child Soldiers: Children and teenagers in the military.
- Children Forced to Kill: A child or teenager has to kill another person.
- College Is "High School, Part 2"
- Coming-of-Age Story: A character tells their story about growing up.
- Dangerous 16th Birthday: A 16th birthday party which is disastrous.
- Dating What Daddy Hates: A daughter brings home a boyfriend of whom her father disapproves.
- Dawson Casting: Adults play teenagers on TV or the movies.
- Dreaded Kids' Table: The kiddie table becomes insufferable during adolescence.
- Dumbass Teenage Son: Your teenage son is slow on the uptake.
- Elaborate University High
- Emo Teen: A teen who can't find their place in life joins the nonconformists.
- First Period Panic: A girl becomes shocked over having her first period.
- Graduation for Everyone
- High School: The final stage of school, often considered the most challenging and stressful.
- High School A.U.: Fan Fic where the characters are in high school.
- High-School Dance: A high school prom.
- High School Hustler: Someone who gets through high school using rebellion.
- High School Rejects
- High School Rocks: High school is portrayed as fun.
- High-School Sweethearts: High schoolers who enter a relationship.
- Hormone-Addled Teenager: A teenager who is ruled by their sex drive.
- Jerk Jock: A jock immaturely expresses his insecurities by bullying other people.
- Junior High: Middle school.
- Kiddie Kid: Teens who behave younger than their age.
- Kid Hero: Teenagers are portrayed as heroic.
- Lovable Alpha Bitch: A popular girl who's surprisingly nice.
- Lovable Jock: A quarterback who's surprisingly nice.
- Menstrual Menace
- Minor with Fake I.D.: A character under 18 presents a fake ID to be granted access to an adults-only place.
- Most Writers Are Adults: Teenagers behave a lot like adults in fiction.
- Ode to Youth: A song embracing the irresponsibility of adolescence.
- Ordinary High-School Student
- Phoneaholic Teenager: Teens who are obsessed with their phones.
- The Promposal: The request to go to prom with someone.
- Puberty Superpower: Puberty grants one a special ability.
- Really 17 Years Old
- Recruit Teenagers with Attitude
- Smitten Teenage Girl
- Teen Drama: Show targeted to teenagers which is a drama.
- Teen Genius: What the Child Prodigy becomes once they approach adolescence.
- Teen Pregnancy: Teenage girls have sex earlier than they should.
- Teens Love Shopping: Teenagers are portrayed as having a fondness for shopping.
- Teen Superspy
- Teenage Wasteland: Kids now have adult power and responsibility and rule over society.
- Teens Are Monsters: Teenagers are rebellious, insensitive, and sociopathic.
- Teens Are Short: Teens in short stature.
- TV Teen
- When I Was Your Age...: Adults complain about how easy the youth have it.
- Wild Teen Party: A rambunctious party full of teenagers.
- Young and in Charge
- Young Conqueror
- Youth Is Wasted on the Dumb: Children and teenagers can be pretty stupid.
