Trend: Pre-Teens Hanging Out in Coffee Shops

Teenagers have been hanging out in coffee shops for years but now, it seems, pre-teens are frequenting Starbucks, Bridgehead and Second Cup. What’s causing this trend and what can be made of it?

The thing to remember is that teens and pre-teens are in the process of separating from their parents and families, and individuating into their own adults. Hanging out with peers instead of with family is normal and even a healthy step in this maturation process. The bad news is that parents who love control, lose it at this time when their children would rather be with peers than with them. Because pre-teens can’t drive, they’re limited to finding private places (without parents around) to hang out. After school, they hang out around the schoolyard or local parks. They’re easily found at malls. And now, coffee shops are the new corner candy store! Here are the reasons:

* Coffee shops are a legal place for teens to hang out and imbibe. There are no laws that keep teens from drinking coffee, coffee drinks or muffins, the staple of coffee shops. This isn’t like teens hanging out at bars, where they’re not of age to do so.

* Coffee shops are less like malls because they are smaller and more contained. It’s easier to keep track of teens and for teens to keep track of each other. In malls, you never know where the kids are, who they’re running off with, or if they lose each other on different floors, or in different stores.

* Coffee shops sell sugary drinks. that are less caffeine and more milkshake. In fact, it’s almost difficult to get a pure caffeine drink at many of them these days. Whipped, ice-blended, juice drinks are al the norm.

* The bad news is that many coffee shops substitute for the school cafeteria, and teenage girls, prone to eating disorders or just trying to be thin, will drink caffeine drinks at these shops, in lieu of eating “real food” because caffeine can be an appetite suppressant, and the pre-teens know this and exploit it at the expense of their health.