America's Lost Boys: Why ARE so many young men failing to grow up?



They've become the subject of dozens of films - the lazy twenty-something men who spend most of their time playing video games and refuse to get a job.

But although the likes of Seth Rogen's layabout character in Knocked Up are funny to watch on screen, for psychologists - and parents - they are part of a disturbing trend.

According to new research, America is producing a generation of 'lost boys' who lack the drive to start their careers and instead drop out of college and end up languishing in their parents' basements surfing the internet.

Stuck in adolescence: Psychologists say there is a disturbing trend among young men who struggle to find jobs, like Seth Rogen's character in Knocked Up

Last year saw the lowest level of youth summer employment on record, with only 60.5 per cent of those aged 16-24 in work or actively looking for jobs, compared with 77.5 per cent in 1989.

For men, that figure has fallen by 20 per cent, compared with 14 per cent for women.

And of those, far more will still be living at home with their parents than ever before. In 2009, 52.8 per cent of young Americans still hadn't moved out, compared with 47.3 per cent in 1970.

Psychologists blame the trend on a range of factors, from boys becoming disillusioned at high school to the rise and rise of video games and the internet.

Addiction: Young men are spending more time playing video games, like Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd's characters in The 40-Year-Old Virgin

WHAT'S STOPPING OUR YOUNG MEN GROWING UP?

According to Leonard Sax, there are five factors setting teenage boys 'adrift': Video Games 'Studies suggest that some of the most popular video games are disengaging boys from real-world pursuits.'



Teaching Methods

'Profound changes in the way children are educated have had the unintended consequence of turning many boys off school.'



Prescription Drugs

'Overuse of medication for ADHD may be causing irreversible damage to the motivational centres in boys’ brains.'



Endocrine Disruptors 'Environmental oestrogens from plastic bottles and food sources may be lowering boys’ testosterone levels, making their bones more brittle and throwing their endocrine systems out of whack.'



Devaluation of Masculinity 'Shifts in popular culture have transformed the role models of manhood. Forty years ago we had Father Knows Best; today we have The Simpsons.'

According to Concordia University sociologist Anthony Synnott: 'Young men get addicted - to video games, to drugs and alcohol.'

Perry Adler, a clinical psychologist in Montreal, told the Ottawa Citizen: 'Once we've ruled out a clinical diagnosis, one explanation is that we're dealing with someone who is struggling with not feeling passionate about anything.

'For him to commit to something feels like a waste of time.'

He said many parents see the trend starting when their sons are still in high school. Mr Adler said: 'We very often have seen parents coming in talking about teens who are languishing, spending much of their time on the Internet, not fulfilling academic responsibilities, not fulfilling their potential.'

He also blames movies like Knocked Up and the 40-Year-Old Virgin, as well as television programmes like Jackass, which idealise the stereotype of a lazy man.

He said: 'They're almost saying it's cool to be rude and oafish, to be destructive, not very productive.'

American psychologist Leonard Sax describes it as an epidemic.

He told the Citizen: 'I've spoken with many boys in Grades 1 to 3 across the U.S. and they've told me that school is a stupid waste of time.

'When I ask them why, they say, "I got in trouble for throwing snowballs," or "because I wouldn't sit still," or "on account of I drew a picture of soldiers stabbing each other".'

He said school is no longer a boy-friendly place, and points to the greater success of countries like Finland, where children don't start their formal schooling until the age of seven.

Poor role models: Psychologists say actors like Adam Sandler promote the stereotype of lazy men who fail to grow up

Young men are also being hampered by a growing gender gap in education.



Study: Leonard Sax says part of the problem is that boys feel bored at school

The number of women in college is now far greater than that of men, and as more highly-educated individuals tend to marry other more highly-educated individuals, men who drop out of college may find themselves outside the marriage market.

As young women increasingly put off having children while they pursue their careers, the age at which young people get married increases, too, so young men can postpone growing up as long as they want.

Last year Vanessa Wight, of Columbia University, used data from the U.S. Current Population Survey to show how young people are increasingly delaying marriage.

In 1970, the median age for a first marriage was 20.8 for women and 23.2 for men. It is now 25.9 for women and 28.1 for men.

She said: 'Some research suggests that the notion of adulthood is changing and that marriage and parenthood, once the hallmarks of adult status, are no longer as important to defining a successful transition to adulthood.'

Mr Adler said the best thing parents can do is encourage their children to set themselves small, achievable aims.

