Teens just want to have fun<\/p>\n
They are not involved in student brawls and they do not take
\ndrugs. They just want to hang out in shopping malls, eat at tent
\ncafes or watch movies. But parents should stay alert to make sure
\ntheir children walk on the right track, The Jakarta Post's Ida
\nIndawati Khouw reported.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): As Saturday approaches, teenager Frans Hartanto
\nanticipates the weekend, when he can hang out in a nightspot
\nuntil late at night.<\/p>\n
His favorite place is not far from his school: the Bulungan
\narea in South Jakarta where life goes on until after midnight.
\nOther sites include the tent cafes or restaurants scattered
\naround the city.<\/p>\n
\"I hang out at such places almost every weekend. It's time to
\nwind down after a whole week of school,\" said the SMUN 70
\nstudent.<\/p>\n
On Saturday morning he makes plans with three or four mates,
\nmaking sure they don't miss the \"happy hours\".<\/p>\n
But how do they enjoy the night? Frans said he does not like
\ngoing to discotheques. He does not take drugs, but some of his
\nschool friends do. He swears he has never been involved in
\nstudent brawls, which have become a common sight on Jakarta's
\nstreets. What he does to have fun is spend time chatting with his
\nfriends and sometimes teasing passing girls while he eats a meal
\nor catches a movie.<\/p>\n
\"We have various issues to talk about, mostly girls. That's
\nwhy we zero in on a group of girls passing by. Yeah, teasing
\ngirls comes natural. We are not ill-behaved,\" said 18-year-old
\nFrans.<\/p>\n
Other teenagers prefer to hang out in malls. Teens can be seen
\nmilling about in practically every mall in the city. Many of them
\nare dressed in the latest fashion.<\/p>\n
\"A mall is an ideal hangout where we can do anything under one
\nroof. What's more, we can follow fashion trends, a topic which
\nalways pops up in our conversations,\" said Reni, a student at
\nSMUN 53 senior high school in East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Keeping up-to-date with fashion is important to her, even
\nthough she does not wear the latest designs.<\/p>\n
\"Of course I can't afford to buy expensive things. I can only
\nbuy things like that when I go shopping with my parents. What I
\nand my friends buy is usually something relatively cheap, like
\nhair accessories, imitation rings or a necklace at the most,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Her friend Indra agreed that knowing what was in fashion was
\nimportant, especially if she was able to purchase them. \"Those
\nwho don't follow the trends usually find it difficult to make
\nfriends, or find it hard to follow our conversations,\" she said.<\/p>\n
According to her, following fashion does not mean purchasing
\nexpensive things because there is always a cheaper \"edition\" of
\nthe latest fashion.<\/p>\n
Both Reni and Indra said they wore their best casual clothes
\non outings with friends. \"We wear a uniform every school day,
\nweekends are our chance to dress up in our favorite clothes,\"
\nIndra said.<\/p>\n
\"We usually start our activities after 10 a.m. on Sundays, a
\nday on which we can wake up quite late. We usually finish our fun
\nbefore 8 p.m. because we have to prepare for (school on) Monday,\"
\nshe added.<\/p>\n
While many teenagers spend their weekends in malls, others,
\nlike Silvia and her close friends from SMKN 45 in West Jakarta,
\nhave made it a tradition to visit a friend's house every Sunday
\njust to chat, watch VCDs or share their problems.<\/p>\n
\"We always have interesting topics to chat about, like stories
\nabout friends and their boyfriends, music, magazines,\" Silvia
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
What all teenagers have in common is that they go out to meet
\ntheir friends.<\/p>\n
A researcher of youth culture, Robby I. Chandra, said that in
\na crowded city like Jakarta, parks and malls were the only places
\nwhich provide the space needed by people, especially teenagers,
\nto express themselves.<\/p>\n
\"Their basic need is friends who listen to and understand
\ntheir problems and show appreciation or listen to their opinions.
\nIn this case, neither school nor home is the place where they can
\nfill the need because parents and teachers don't consider their
\nchildren as friends.<\/p>\n
\"Thus a mall is a neutral place which meets their needs. There
\nis also a choice of things to do in malls. A mall can be a place
\nto find new information,\" said the author of Budaya Kota, Kawula
\nMuda dan Media Modern (Urban Culture, Young People and Modern
\nMedia).<\/p>\n
Chandra said that teenage years were a period of transition.
\nAt that stage of life, teenagers need quite a lot of attention,
\nand they often seek attention. Therefore, adults should play a
\nrole to help them safely pass through the transition from teen to
\nadult.<\/p>\n
To maintain a friendship, teenagers can also be enticed by
\ntheir peers into taking drugs. Or they might be torn between
\nfriendship and sexual attraction, which could end up in
\npremarital sex.<\/p>\n
\"As for girls, they could become trapped in a sexual
\nrelationship with an older citizen,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Consumerism<\/p>\n
Chandra said that malls as part of the urban culture had a
\nnegative side as youths could be lured by consumerism.<\/p>\n
Some of the students confirmed this.<\/p>\n
\"My mother once complained that I spend much more money
\ncompared to my sister, now 28 years old, during her school years.
\nBut these are different conditions in which we live. Everything
\nis much more expensive now,\" said teenager Indra.<\/p>\n
Almost all of the students said they spent at least Rp 50,000
\na month on entertainment.<\/p>\n
Those from better-off families spend much more.<\/p>\n
Agustine from SMUK 5 in East Jakarta said, \"I need more than
\nRp 250,000 per month for entertainment. My mother also has to
\ngive me more money for my mobile phone card, clothes or shoes for
\nexample.<\/p>\n
\"The amount I spend is not a lot. Some of my friends need more
\nthan Rp 500,000 for entertainment,\" said the 18-year-old student,
\nwhose favorite hangout is Taman Anggrek Mall in West Jakarta,
\nwhere she goes ice skating on weekends.<\/p>\n
A coordinator of academic development at Al Izhar Islamic
\nschool in South Jakarta, Henny Supolo Sitepu, said parents should
\ntry hard to discourage consumerism in their children, saying
\nlimiting their pocket money was one way.<\/p>\n
She said there were many activities available for students
\nbesides going to malls. \"Children need to have information on
\nvarious activities based on their interests, besides going to
\nmalls,\" she said.<\/p>\n
However, the students also said they were not interested in
\nweekend activities organized by schools, claiming they weren't
\nfun.<\/p>\n
Henny said activities organized by schools could attract
\nteenagers if they were based on the interests of teenagers, such
\nas music and cultural performances.<\/p>",
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