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• Study reveals must-haves for the youthful lifestyle
• Young people warned of 'perfect financial storm'
It's a description that many parents will recognise - and it hints at the remarkable spending habits and tastes of teenagers living in the 21st century.
"Laptop, ostensibly for homework/coursework but mainly for Facebook, a TV in his room, a DVD player, two iPod touches (one purchased by himself!), the odd visit to a disco/club for 16-year-olds, the cinema. Has obviously got a mobile phone - his fourth, having lost two and upgraded one ... Not to mention drum kit, saxophone plus lessons (all abandoned), bike bought by dad (currently unused) ..."
This mother's list is not unusual. According to research published today, the list of "must-have" items for teenagers has grown so much that their lifestyle now costs £9,000 a year.
An analysis of the Office for National Statistics household spending survey by the accountancy trade body AAT suggests teens are spending more than £1,000 a year on mobile phones, MP3 players and downloads, £240 on haircuts and £300 on trainers. On top of that are trips to the cinema, nights out and clothes.
It's a far cry from the days when the latest seven-inch single and 5p for the phone were enough to please most teenagers, and the reason why, according to AAT, even when the effects of inflation are stripped out, 17-year-olds today spend 12 times as much for their teenage kicks as their 1975 counterparts. The organisation admits comparing spending habits is not an exact science, because teenagers now expect so much. "The shopping basket is not the same," said spokesman Andrew Williams. "The aspiration is not the same, the expectations are not the same."
In fact, many of today's teenage "essentials" are cheaper than they were three decades ago. The cost of buying an Atari 2600 games console back in 1975 would have been the equivalent of £1,200 in today's money, while a hi-fi back then would have cost more than £1,100 in today's terms.
These items would cost less than £200 each today. But back then they were considered luxuries; now they are just part of the kit that the average teenager expects to own.
Meanwhile, the cost of activities enjoyed by both today's youngsters and their parents has risen. AAT's analysis shows going to the cinema costs £7 today, compared with the equivalent of £4.80 in 1975, while the price of a pint is up from £2.40 to £3.
Worryingly for parents, teenage-style spending is starting younger than ever. Recent research by financial education charity pfeg suggests that even seven-year-olds are trying to raise funds to buy ringtones and games for their mobile phones, while a quarter have made premium-rate phone calls to vote in TV competitions.
AAT said today's teens faced "a perfect financial storm" as their increasingly expensive lifestyle coincides with recession, diminished parental spending power and fewer employment options.
With the bank of mum and dad due to be as hard hit by the credit crunch as any other, and many schools now requiring parents to ask permission before children do part-time jobs such as paper rounds, young people may soon have to rein in their spending.
A tale of two teens
Today's teenager
Geoff Williams's parents can consider themselves lucky. The 17-year-old A-level student has the usual burning interest in music and computer games, but says he doesn't need the latest clothing brands or state of the art gadgets. "I've got a classic iPod, but it's lasted two and a half years now, and my mobile is old. I do like technology, but my phone is brilliant, it does everything I need," he said, before adding that he might save up for an iPhone.
So where does the money come from? "I get an £80 monthly allowance, and the rest is Christmas and birthday presents, plus my mum sometimes gives me handouts. I tried getting a weekend job. But at the moment no one is wanting to take on extra staff."
Teenaged in 1975
Tracey Woodward funded her teenage spending by working at British Home Stores on Saturdays, earning about £7.50 for the day.
After leaving school at 16, she worked at the Ministry of Defence as an administrator, earning £50 a week. "I handed about half over to my mum for board and keep, and most of the rest went on train fares, leaving me with about £10 a week," she said. "I was a punk, so most of my clothes came from jumble sales, to get the right look, with the odd bit from Chelsea Girl."
Night buses had yet to be invented, so she and her friends used to walk home a couple of miles after any evening out. Jill Insley
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