In the United States, we encourage our adolescents to be critical thinkers. So one can argue that the process of individuation in adolescence is necessary in the United States. It wouldn't hurt if adolescence occurred later in a child's life. One hundred years ago puberty didn't occur until a child was 17 or 18 years of age. Early onset of puberty and the influence of our media culture have pushed adolescence earlier and earlier.
Parents often report feeling helpless responding to media and peer pressure.
Sometimes being available, establishing effective discipline, and having open communication with your child isn't enough to counter the negative influences in an adolescent's life. In some communities, parents have organized with other parents and with police, store owners, and ministers to establish agreed-upon limits and expectations for their community's adolescents. This collective response has helped parents to feel more empowered and effective in their relationship with adolescents. How Communities Can Work Together to Raise Standards for All Our Children . The Search Institute in Minnesota also discusses community responses to youth in many of their publications.