Reposted from sparknotes - TEENS ARE NOT DUMB!!!

Sometimes, your SparkNotes editors wonder whether the writers at the New York Times actually know a single human being under the age of 20, what with their hysterical late-breaking reaction to every high school-related scandal or social trend to emerge over the past ten years. It's almost comical by now; every few months, like clockwork, another story comes out that paints today's teenagers in the worst possible light. For instance, did you know that kids today are exchanging jelly bracelets for sex?! And that once, a teacher found a picture of a boob on someone's cellphone?!! And that on a website where users can ask questions anonymously, some people use the opportunity to act like total jerks?!

Annoyingly, whenever one of these articles comes out, your panicked parents come running into your bedroom all red-faced, demanding to know whether you have a "Facespring," and also whether you've been letting people touch your "gchat," and OHMYGOD, is that CHATROULETTE?! NOOOOO!

Parents: Get off the internet! You're going to catch herpes!!!
You: ...You guys have been reading the New York Times again, haven't you.


The Times may be shocked by teenagers' purported bad behavior, but they're equally amazed by their good behavior. In keeping with their proud tradition of total cluelessness, the NYT was recently surprised to learn that today's teenagers are spending their free time doing something other than sexting and sniffing paint—and that contrary to popular belief, most of you are making a conscientious effort to keep your privacy intact online. The article gasp-shocks its way through the news that young people are actually more assiduous than middle-aged people are about deleting Facebook posts and photos that could paint them in a negative light, limiting access to their accounts, and alerting other people (like younger siblings) to the potential fallout from sharing too much with the internet.

This isn't news to anyone who sparkles or knows a Sparkler. In fact, it's painfully obvious and non-newsworthy. What's next, NYT? A shocking report that some teens don't like Miley Cyrus?

And now, if you'll excuse us, we've got to go ask our parents for the five-hundredth time to please give us back our lipstick because rainbow parties were a myth forcryingoutloud.