European teens look older than American teens (high schools, teacher)

[city_data91]

Has anyone else noticed this? Can you think of any possible reasons or explanations of why European teens look/seem older than American teens? This is especially true of British teens.

[analyticalkeys]

It depends on the area... certain high schools in NYC have kids that look older than other ones... it just happens.

[DustBowl]

Europe is not a homogeneous area... even if many Americans tend to think so.

[Hollytree]

Could it be because they are better educated, more mature, and more responsible than our whiny puerile American teens........... naaaah!

[effie g-tad]

Originally Posted by DustBowl

Europe is not a homogeneous area... even if many Americans tend to think so.

and britain not the heartland of it (or not anymore).

but it's certainly much older, much more exhausted, and a lot poorer: too poor to afford the surgical upgrading and genetic engineering so innocently promoted as suggested by the op here (imho).

[analyticalkeys]

Originally Posted by Hollytree

Could it be because they are better educated, more mature, and more responsible than our whiny puerile American teens........... naaaah!

And what do any of these things have to do with looks?

[António Oliveira Salazar]

its the opposite. in portugal the boys and girls from like 14yo looklike kids and in us looklike adults wannabe.

[irman]

Ah, shoot ....
I have grandchildren and they still card me when I ask for a a beer ....
My youngest just got married and everybody who did not know her close,
was asking if she was old enough to get married .... she is 28 for heaven's sake ...

But then ...
We are from south east Asia ....

My opinion is that when the *make up* is removed, young people will look younger .....
They really should *make up*, classify as *false advertising*.

[chicken.or.the.nugget]

europeans are not more mature. thats such a misconception. like british people find gay jokes hilarious (there was some movie with like a history teacher, that i did not find funny at all but it was a hit in britain). They like to drink and party (probably more so than americans). They also go wild at sporting events.
maybe its because they smoke more?

[chacho_keva]

Four years ago I visited NYC with my daughter who was 17 at the time. As we visited several landmarks, I was amazed by the many groups of European teens who were there on holiday. While they looked like any other U.S. teen, they definitely behaved more maturely. A German acquaintance later confirmed how common it is for Euro teens to travel elsewhere in groups.