Teenagers are blossoming kids who are trying to find their ways of transitioning into adulthood. Despite their young age, they already have a lifestyle that is unique. They have their own sense of music, style and behaviours. This article will give you the 13 Teenager Lifestyle in Indonesia. Read on how they live their life in Indonesia.
1. Music
Teenagers in Indonesia love to listen to music. Indonesian teens listen to a lot of Western music. The highly requested genre of music among teenagers right now is Rap. Other than that, they would listen to the most popular pop songs on the radio or streaming services. There are also a lot of teenagers who listen to K-Pop music. However, there are also teenager who listen Traditional Music of Indonesia.
2. School
Most Indonesian teenagers spend their time in school. Indonesian Education System are required to attend school from the morning to the afternoon. The average school time begins at 7 A.M. They leave the school around 3 P.M. or 5 P.M.
Link to Facts about Education in Indonesia to know more about student’s school daily life.
3. Social Network
Almost all the teens don’t even use texting anymore. They rely on online messaging applications or other forms of social network. The most commonly used messaging applications is Whatsapp and Line. As for social medias, Indonesian teens highly use Instagram, Twitter, Youtube and Facebook. All these new technologies offer more variety with less cost than normal texting on the phone. However, there are important Internet Rules in Indonesia   you must obey if you want to using internet access in Indonesia.
4. Obsession with New Trends of Food
The teens in Indonesia are always on the search for the next trendy food. What they look for is the kind of food that would be perfect for that Instagram snap. Besides that, they like to taste new varieties of food with affordable price. This is why a lot of teenagers would often spend their time in cafes or restaurants. Even there are favorable Indonesian street food around, such as Street Food in Jakarta, Street Food in Bandung, as well as Street Food in Bali.
5. Dating
Indonesian teenagers are no exception to having romantic feelings towards the people they have a crush on. They would often start a relationship when they are in junior high school. Most teens in senior high school often have serious relationship. However, most parents have strict rules about their kids having relationships. The teens are always reminded to avoid free sex for their own good.
6. Video Blogging
Video blogging is another trend that Indonesian teenagers love. This kind of blogging is termed as ‘vlogging’. Since a lot of them watches Youtube videos, they also want to upload one from themselves. They would often tape their daily lives, thoughts, food, activities and other various things that they can do. Some teens may even hope that they can get famous from vlogging.
7. Using English
Due to globalisation, English is one of the languages that has become frequently used among the teenagers in Indonesia. The teenagers in big cities love to mix their languages. They would use English in their social medias or networks. Some even admitted that they find it more comfortable to use English than Bahasa Indonesia. Meanwhile some only use it for practice in the hope of getting better.
8. Wide Array of Passion
It is a common knowledge that almost all the parents in Indonesia have high hopes for their children. They want their teens to continue their studies to higher level of education so that they can become doctors, lawyers or engineers. However, Indonesian teens have a wider array of passion now. Other than wanting to be those conventional dream jobs, they are more into following through with their passion.
9. Expressing Oneself through Social Media
Since Indonesian teenagers have an attachment to their social medias, they are more comfortable of expressing themselves there. Through social medias, they are able to express their thoughts to million of strangers. What makes social medias special is the fact that you can choose to be anonymous. However free they could be, the teens must still be careful when expressing their thoughts on the internet as some people might find them troublesome. Link to laws
10. More Individualistic
Being social is one of the basic behaviours in Indonesia. After all, you are expected to be social with anyone you meet. It is a form of being polite. Besides that, people are expected to fit in with the crowd. But for Indonesian teenagers, they do not necessarily feel the need to fulfil those social norms anymore. They are more individualistic and true to themselves. They can also avoid socialising with people by playing with their electronic gadgets.
11. Outspoken
Unlike the Indonesian norm of listening and obeying to the rules, the Indonesian teenagers go against all that. Most of them have learned to be outspoken. They are no longer afraid to speak their mind. The teens are more critical of their society and brave enough to point out all the flaws in the system. Being outspoken is seen as a good thing but these teens are often labeled as ‘rebellious’ by the older generations.
12. Outside Fashion Influence
Since most teens are so consumed with what they see on their social medias, almost all of them have fashion influence from countries outside Indonesia. A lot of teens dress with a hint of Western fashion. Additionally, there are some teens who also wear clothing that are inspired by the people in Japan and Korea.
13. Un-filtering Western Culture
One bad thing about the teenager lifestyle in Indonesia is the lack of filtering for outside cultures. As a result, most teens are unable to filter out Western culture that would have a negative impact on them. More and more teens are consuming booze and drugs without ever really knowing the full effect. Also, some may also overdo it so they can fit in with the crowds they like.
Each and every one of this lifestyle holds a special meaning to Indonesian teenagers. They carry out this lifestyle to cope with the social pressure and also to keep up with the latest trends. In this modern age, they somehow find a way to grow.
