The 10 - 19 year old age group which represents about a fifth of the South African population, according to Statssa's latest census figures [1765 kb], have scarcely any media publications available to them other than social media.
With the print title, Seventeen magazine, closing it doors at the end of 2013 and its rival, Saltwater Girl magazine, announcing the dawn of the final "collectors issue", TeenZone is only competitive teen magazine available on the market.
"There’s definitely a drop in teens’ access to magazines, especially in South Africa, but coupled with that is a dramatic increase in teen voices in the online space," contends former Seventeen magazine editor, Janine Jellars.
Educational psychologist, Elana Burger, believes contemporary teenagers use social media to vent their emotions and to find for like-minded people, because there is a lack of a suitable place to do so.
However neither dying tradition teen media and user generated teen media offer teenagers a constructive and safe forum they need to resolve serious and age related issues.
"Media, like blogs, can serve as containers for the very intense emotions teenagers feel. However people who will take advantage of such information, also have access to it. Teenagers also have a free pass to age-inappropriate content online. whereas parents are often too overcome by anxiety to offer teens a judgement free space to explore their issues," explains Burger.
Burger believes teenagers are in need of a non-judgmental platform and a guiding voice in the media.
This three-fold issue concerning teenagers' access to teen content - too little teen media, the constrained one-way communication in print media and harmful content online - may provide the perfect opportunity to initiate great teen media.
"Teenagers are in a identity-seeking phase of their life's," says Burger.
We have to offer our teenagers, the near-future driving force of our society, access to constructive media platform.
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