Teenagers Care More About the Internet than Their Driver’s License
When we were kids, we literally counted down the seconds until we were 16, which meant we could get our driver's license, which meant we had freedom and independence and real social lives.
According to a new study, American teenagers really don't care about driving the way previous generations of teenagers did. And it's because of . . . the Internet.
About half of teenagers preferred spending their time online instead of hanging out in cars. 46% say they'd rather have Internet access than a car.
And, in a way, that makes sense. There's less of a need to get behind the wheel and explore what's out there when you've had the Internet your whole life, putting you in touch with the entire world without leaving your home.
In 1978, 50% of kids got their driver's license shortly after turning 16. In 2008, that was down to 30%.
And in 1978, 12 million people under 19 had driver's licenses . . . now it's down to 10 million.
I'm not sure if I believe this. Do you think teenagers would rather have Internet than their drivers license?