Being Sixteen

Teenagers cop a lot of bad press. Their work ethic gets questioned, their fashion mocked, their music critiqued, their hair condemned. As history shows, every generation thinks the next one is worse. So, we asked Ailana, the beautiful 16-year-old who’s been completing her work experience at BCHQ,
to tell us what it’s really like to be a teenager today.

After a 6-hour day of friendship drama, teachers yelling, and boys ragebaiting at school, I’m finally home. I throw my brick load of a bag with assignments on the ground and I lay on my bed and have a well-deserved winding down scroll. The next minute, I hear, “Get off that phone, I swear you are addicted to that thing!”
and “Why are you wearing so much makeup? Why is your dress so short?” Welcome to my daily life as a 16 year old in the Northern Beaches in the year 2025.

My name is Ailana, I am in Year 10 in High School and I hope to be a journalist in the future, hence why I chose to do my work experience at Beaches COVERED.

Being 16 in 2025 is a wild ride, probably the best and most interesting time of my life. On one hand, I have my driver’s license, I don't have to pay bills, I get a few bucks from my job and I have good friends, but on the other hand, I have to deal with school, judgement, and the hours of working a casual job. And on top of that, we are expected to juggle all of this whilst being responsible because we are “young adults”, as people from the older generation like to say.

Phones, for instance, seem to be our generation’s biggest crime. The older generation are triggered when seeing teenagers on phones. News flash: you Gen X’s and Boomers: we’re not the only ones glued to screens. Adults are constantly on their phones for work, emails, meetings, and grocery lists. For teenagers, a phone isn’t optional; it’s how we survive. Without it, alarms get missed, plans fall apart, and social life collapses.

The teenage years are undoubtedly the years that bring the most change both physically and emotionally. We have to adjust our fashion to fit a new body, and also think about how we need to look more “adult”, because, let’s face it, no teenager wants to wear a puffy skirt down to the knees with Disney characters all over it.

My Mum’s classic lines echo in my head daily: “Why is that so short?”, “Why are you wearing so much makeup?”, “Why do you look like that?” Between peer judgment and parental critique, teenagers navigate a whole lot of expectations, all while being told we’re in our “prime.”

Being sixteen is messy, loud, and ridiculous, but it’s also a lot of fun. We’re learning, experimenting, and figuring out how to survive school, friendships, and family critique all while carving out our own independence. Yes, it’s stressful, and yes, sometimes it’s completely absurd. But it’s also full of freedom, laughter, and moments that make it unforgettable.

Being sixteen in 2025? It’s chaos, it’s complicated, and somehow, it’s pretty great.  

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