Tween Beat

OK, so maybe you had already figured out the bit about tweens not being from Mars--or Venus either, for that matter. But that doesn't mean those boys and girls poised on the threshold of teendom today don't remain something of a mystery. Exactly who are these youngsters who seem so much more mature than previous generations of tweens gone by--yet barely old enough to watch the teen-ridden angst of TV's hugely popular Dawson's Creek?

"They live in a technological world," says author Acuff, who is also president of Youth Market System Consulting and The Character Lab in Sherman Oaks, California. "Today's preteens are living in a more complex world."

"There's a real sophistication going on with this generation," echoes Dennis. "My daughter moved from Disney to Buffy the Vampire Slayer by age 7."

"There are so many of them--and they're so bright," adds Bokram. "They've grown up in a world of information and knowledge that's unmatched. They have access to more types of information from more sources than we could have ever imagined."

So it's all the more difficult to grab their attention, right? Well, yes--and no. Although contemporary tweens enjoy entertainment options galore--to say nothing of time-consuming extracurricular pursuits like after-school sports--their minds are still arguably more focused than many adults.

"Kids' attention spans are better and stronger than adults," maintains Acuff. "A lot of it is about learning and meeting challenges. The reason a video game can occupy a kid's time for three hours is because it has many levels of challenge."

Of course, that doesn't make kids an easy sell. Warns Acuff, "Don't underestimate their intelligence."

This article was originally published in the September 1999 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Tween Beat.