Module 2: Articles on Teen Life 2

But is peppering one's sentences with "like" such a heinous crime against the English tongue?

"It is not a lazy use of language; that is a common fallacy among non-linguists," he says. "We all use fillers because we can't keep up highly monitored, highly grammatical language all the time. We all have to pause and think."

"It is not a lazy use of language; that is a common fallacy among non-linguists," he says. "We all use fillers because we can't keep up highly monitored, highly grammatical language all the time. We all have to pause and think."

"Using 'um' may seem more correct to Emma Thompson because using 'like' as a filler is not a feature of the language she uses. The more disassociated you are from the group that uses a word in a different way, the more that use stands out. It will be invisible to teenagers."

While certain uses of language — such as fillers — have probably always been around, the appropriation of "like" in this context can be traced to a familiar source of so much modern-day slang — California's Valley Girls.

If they [young people] do deploy the sort of language they're using on the streets in formal settings, then it could well be a disadvantage to them, but at other times it's quite clearly the way they get along, the way that they signal they belong in a group, the way that they fit in.

We've got all our acronyms and our little words that we use that send a signal — I'm one of the club.

Though they’re characterized as multitasking whizzes, they’re simultaneously garnering the reputation among older generations of being lazy, unaware and apathetic.

Though they’re characterized as multitasking whizzes, they’re simultaneously garnering the reputation among older generations of being lazy, unaware and apathetic.

The characterizations come from the parents of Generation Z and prior generations alike.

“Compared to when I was growing up, I think that in some ways my daughter’s generation is more unaware of what’s going on the world,” Hellen Minev said, a parent of a Prospect student. “I don’t think they’re apathetic, though; I think they just have different priorities, like their cellphones and Facebook.”

They’re leading a sedentary lifestyle that, when paired with a poor diet, can result in obesity, diabetes and other health problems.

They’re leading a sedentary lifestyle that, when paired with a poor diet, can result in obesity, diabetes and other health problems.

“My sister shopped a lot, so I borrowed her clothes. It seemed like we had excess, but in the end it was my mom taking on a lot of burdens.”

“It is OK to feel a pang of envy when you see someone else has something that you want,” she says.