Tween (demographic)

A tween is a word that typically refers to a person who is 11, 12, 13, or 14 years old (although some say the range is 10 to 13 or 11 to 13 or 12 to 14 or 11 and 12, there are various opinions and the major thing to remember is that every young person is different so that while some may seem to be tweens as early as 9 others may not seem to be so until 16, parents should take the individuality of their child into consideration and note that variation and different maturity rates are completely normal and healthy, so this is OK), usually in grades 6-8 (so in the last year of elementary school for those that still have 6th grade and most commonly in middle school, formerly known as junior high and formerly grades 7-9...in some many cases this is still so. The word "tween" typically refers to and is associated with middle school and the transitional years between elementary school and high school, though it also widely applies to 9th graders, who are typically in high school, as well as 5th graders, who are typically in elementary school, after all those are transitional years in school, 5th usually being the last in elementary and 9th usually being the first in high school, and thus kids will usually fit the tween description to some degree). The term is often described in popular media as referring to a pre-adolescent (usually female) who is at the "in-between" stage in their development when they are considered "too old for toys, too young for boys". The "tween" stage usually ends with the onset of puberty, though this may vary.

Definition

Tweens are "in-between" being a child and a teen. They are children truly, to be fair and technical and truthful, but they share some characteristics of teenagers as they are becoming them, such as, sometimes, changing bodies, growing interest in the opposite gender, etc., and they differ from younger children in that they are not, usually, primarily occupied with play. They are often going through a period of rapid social, physiological and emotional development. Along with the teen years, the tween years are a time of the most rapid and dramatic change in development since conception and early infancy.

There are currently 20 million tweens in the U.S. and they are projected to hit 23 million by 2020 (U.S. Census). Tweens are a highly diverse segment of the U.S. population. Minorities will comprise more than half of all children by 2023, with nearly 40% projected to be Hispanic.

"Literature suggests that when children reach their tween years (10 –14 years old), they begin to develop unique social needs and desires, and reveal distinctive hopes, dreams, and expectations for the future. Most notably in this age group, physical changes brought on by the onset of puberty are accompanied by emotional changes. Tweens begin to develop their own sense of self and seek out information from parents and peers that will help them further define themselves. They are beginning to identify their own interests and express themselves through their activities. At the same time, tween self-esteem is in development and fragile, at best. As such, tweens are highly affected by peers and face pressures and worries that are often focused on how they will fit in and interact with others in society."

Key characteristics of modern day tweens

• Highly participative – tweens enjoy things that are fun and interactive
• Highly connected – use of internet, cell phones, etc. They interact with technology, seeing electronic devices as an extension of themselves rather than a medium of communication.
• Achievement oriented – “Eighty percent of tweens say they feel stress/pressure, with the root of their stress coming predominately from themselves, followed by their peers and then their parents. Stress factors include grades, pleasing parents, having friends/fitting in/popularity and looks.”
• Will fight for social time.
• The Internet does have designated spaces for tween social networking sites that encourage safer online practices and tween empowerment. Such sites provide tweens with an opportunity to express their feelings, ideas, and beliefs and be heard in a non-judgmental environment. The sites often have stronger parental controls, less display of private information, and more emphasis on "no bullying" policies. Despite the existence of these sites, it appears that tweens continue to engage more heavily with more widely established social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Maturity levels of tweens

Tweens have varying levels of maturity. Some are still childlike and do enjoy slightly less mature activities, such as toys, than others. More mature tweeens often enjoy more "adult" activities, such as R-rated videos, dating, and makeup. However, most tweens are in the middle, meaning not so occupied with playtime, but haven't yet reached the stages of dates and makeup and more explicit media. Most of the moderately mature tweens have parental restrictions on such activities. These tweens occur in both ages and genders. Many, but not all, of the less mature set are 9-10 year old boys. Many of the more mature set are 11-12 year old girls.

Tweens in marketing

The word "tweens" is used by marketing firms and advertisers targeting younger demographics, which include tweens and young children. Marketers no longer target kids aged 2 to 11 as one segment. Instead, they target five specific demographics: babies (0 to 2), toddlers (18 mos. to 3), preschoolers (3 to 5), children (6 to 9),tweens (8 to 12), preteens (10 or 11 to 12 or 13), and teens (13 or 14 to 17 or 18) .Although this is true of the marketing business, many restaurants market children's menus as one big age range -0 to 12 years old-, even though this grouping is not always accurate, because most children aged 10-12 reputably order differently. Many people are unsure of why restaurants do this, because giving older children "adult" menus would benefit their company, as "adult" items are priced much higher.