Yes, a "tweenager" is a real, informal term for a preteen, referring to children in the transitional phase between childhood and adolescence, typically around ages 8 to 13, bridging the "in-between" years as they face major physical, emotional, and social changes. While psychologists call it preadolescence, "tween" and "tweenager" (a blend of "between" and "teenager") are common terms for this developmental stage.
A term used to refer to the preadolescent stage in everyday speech is tween and its perhaps older variants tweenie, tweeny, tweenager, preteen and tweener. It's a blend (portmanteau) of the words "teen" and "between" in the sense of "between childhood and adolescence" and refers to 9- to 12-year-olds.
Kids between 8 and 12 are called “tweens” because they are in between children and teenagers. It's very normal for kids this age to start to move from being very close to parents to wanting to be more independent. But they still need a lot of help from their parents.
A tween is a child between the age of 8 and 12. However, the term "tween" has been synonymously used in this review with terms such as adolescents and pre-adolescents to refer to children aged 10 to 13.
Teenager is a numeric term for a person from the ages of 13 to 19 years. People aged 10 to 12 years old are placed in the category of preteen, which was coined to recognize ages 10 to 12 as part of the same decade as 13-19 but linguistically separate due to the absence of -teen.
Most countries set the age of majority at 18, but some jurisdictions have a higher age and others lower. The word majority here refers to having greater years and being of full age as opposed to minority, the state of being a minor. The law in a given jurisdiction may not actually use the term "age of majority".
Kids between 6-12 are generally called pre-tweens and tweens. But some say they're living in the “forgotten years,” almost as if there's a lull in development during this time span.
Generation Z (Gen Z) refers to the generation born from 1997 to 2012. Gen Z is bracketed between Millennials (born from 1981 to 1996) and Generation Alpha. The oldest members of Gen Z are starting their post-education years with careers and possibly families.
Although we all love our children no matter what they look like, we all remember periods of our life where we felt stuck in between childhood and adulthood and didn't like it. Typically, what people call the “awkward stage” takes place at around ages 11-14, making middle school a tough time for most kids.
Even if your child isrelatively emotionally balanced, puberty — the releasing of hormones that trigger a restructuring of the brain — may lead them to behave out of character, Ziegler says. So if they start acting like a moody teen at eight or nine — slamming doors and the like — you've done nothing wrong.
Big Kids and Tweens (8 to 9 Years)
Puberty typically starts as early as age 8 for girls and age 9 for boys. 7 As a result, kids this age often feel torn between the little-kid and big-kid worlds. 8-year-olds can slam doors and roll their eyes to assert their independence and individuality.
There is no official tween definition. Generally, tweens are considered to be people who are neither young children nor adolescents. This usually falls between the ages of 8 and 12. Also known as pre-teens, tweens go through their own changes and transitions just as teens do.
A fun fact about the history of “tween” is that it may have come from JRR Tolkien who wrote The Lord of the Ring books. Some say he came up with “tween” to describe an in-between age for his characters called “hobbits.”
Excess production of hormones during puberty can cause mood swings in tween girls and boys.
a child who just turned 13 or is between the age of 8 and 12.
10 Parenting Tips for Preteens and Tweens
In general, puberty is occurring earlier. An analysis of international studies from 1977 to 2013 showed girls started puberty about three months earlier every decade or about one year earlier every 30 years. Precocious puberty is on the rise too.
Children aged 5-11 years might swear to express emotions, get a reaction, or fit in socially. It's good to talk with children about swearing.
Premature pubarche, or the development of pubic hair before the age of 8 in girls or 9 in boys, is most commonly caused by premature adrenarche. Adrenarche is the maturation of the adrenal zona reticularis in both boys and girls, resulting in the development of pubic hair, axillary hair, and adult apocrine body odor.
Whilst boomers and millennials may use the 😂 emoji, this has long since been deemed 'uncool' (or 'cheugy') by Gen Z. Instead, this has been replaced by the skull (💀) or the crying emoji (😭), dramatising the idea of 'dying with laughter'.
While other cohorts (e.g., Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, Generation Z) are defined by age brackets, Gen C is defined by its members' digital-first lifestyle and mindset. So whether someone is 10 or 82 years old, they can still be a part of Gen C.
Donald Trump, born in June 1946, falls squarely into the Baby Boomer generation (typically 1946-1964) as one of the first individuals in that cohort, while President Joe Biden, born in 1942, is a member of the preceding Silent Generation (roughly 1928-1946). Trump's birth year places him at the very beginning of the Baby Boom era, making him a Boomer, not Silent Generation.
This heightened emotional state isn't due to hormones, or bad parenting, it's an entirely normal part of the tween years and once again, grounded in their brain development. As a whole, we are far less tolerant of difficult behaviour in the tween years than we are of that from younger children.
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you'd like an expert to answer, send it to [email protected]. Not everyone grows up at the same pace, even though U.S. law holds that you reach adulthood when you turn 18.
Recommended time limits
Under 2 years old: Zero screen time, except for video chatting with family or friends. 2-5 years old: No more than one hour per day co-viewing with a parent or sibling. 5-17 years old: Generally no more than two hours per day, except for homework.