Being A Teenage Blogger In 2014- What Does It Mean?

Hey everyone, There's no denying that the amount of teen bloggers are on the rise. I'm 16 years old, and there are plenty of bloggers even younger than that. However, since I began blogging in late 2012, I've noticed a few things about what it's like to be a teen blogger in this day and age. Not only are there so many teen bloggers out there that I didn't even know of before hand, but we're doing it pretty damn well too. There's the #tbloggers chat on twitters, where us young adults can discuss all things bloggy twice a week. Then there's the awards- the Company Magazine blog awards now feature a teen category, and I myself was a finalist for Best Youth Blog in the Blog Awards Ireland. There are definitely some pro's and con's to blogging in your teens, and I've decided to discuss this below.  I'm going to start off with the negative side to things, as I do believe it's best to leave on a good note. Over the past year and a half, I've experienced my fair share of "wow, you're great for your age" and of course, I do love a compliment! But it's the "for your age" part that often bothers me. I understand that I'm young, and less experienced than most bloggers, but that doesn't make me a bad blogger. I've seen this with alot of teen bloggers, and overall: teenage bloggers are quite underestimated, particularly by older bloggers. I haven't noticed it as much with companies, but there have been a few things I've been told I can't do or attend because I'm too young.   There are definitely alot of benefits to blogging as a youngster though! When I was younger and before I started blogging, I used to read so many blogs by an older generation. Of course, it's always brilliant to gain information from more experienced people, but I did always wish to see things more for my age. Nowadays, I try to feature items that within a reasonable student budget. It's always nice to see a fresh approach, especially since the world of the internet is constantly changing. Not only that, I'm constantly improving my writing and my style is always evolving. This blog is my platform to show all of that, and has become like a mini portfolio for the future.  It's regularly said that "the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow", and this I entirely agree with this statement. Here are a few words from other teen bloggers on this issue; Tolly from Tolly Dolly Posh, age 13 The pros of being a teen blogger I guess is the fact that people think you are unique in away because you have started so young. I don't necessarily think this is a thing which is that new bloggers should think 'Ooh yes I should start blogging because of that' over, but when I first started getting followers that was quite a big factor.  I would say there are a few more cons to teen blogging than pros. Starting with the fact that there aren't as many young people who read blogs. I don't think that many young people know about blogs so therefore they don't read them, this means the amount of people who read your blog is going to be smaller than an older blogger as more older people read blogs, and are generally going to read blogs by people of the same age.The second con is that people sort of... look down on you because they think your blog is perhaps 'written by a child', so it's going to be unprofessional and not very good at all. It can be annoying sometimes!
Grace from Dainty Sprinkles, age 14  I've mixed opinions on how teenage bloggers are perceived in the big world of blogging. Sometimes I feel kind of uncomfortable whilst writing up a blogpost since I'm always conscious that people and bloggers much older than me and more 'experienced' than me may perceive me as patronising or basically not knowing what I'm talking about since I'm still quite young. In saying that, Alot of adult bloggers are very accepting and kind towards teen bloggers - After all age is just a number ! A good few amazing blogs I read are often dismissed or undermined due to the young age of the blogger  wh owrites the brilliant content but I'd like to think that the overall opinion towards teenage bloggers is positive and welcoming. 
Jess from Gingerly Pale, age 16

I think that being a teenage blogger definitely has two sides to it. I mean, some people will most likely place you in the mold of being ‘immature’ – just because you might only have sixteen years to their twenty something. It’s something that I haven’t personally experienced just yet – I actually tend to get people saying that they forget that I’m ‘only’ sixteen when they read my posts (probably down to my granny-like words!). I don’t think that your age should define whether or not your blog is good – it will only reflect upon what you write about (like school, exams etc). Being a teenage blogger allows you to have time to perfect and create a blog that is completely you, and it’s also a worthwhile hobby to have - say, if you want to practice and improve your writing skills. Even though you will most definitely cringe when you look back on your first posts, you can always have a good laugh about them! Also, having a blog when you’re growing up will allow you to see how far you’ve come and matured as time passes. I haven’t encountered any problems (yet!) because of the fact that I am a teenage blogger – but I strongly think that a blogger is a blogger, and that your age shouldn’t make any less of a one by any means! 

Aveen from The Random Life Of Aveen, age 17

I feel that being a teen blogger is at times quite a rewarding experience, but also quite a challenge. I adore blogging, it’s an excellent social media platform to get to know other teenage bloggers however I personally found my peers in school quite judgemental about my blog. I’m open and honest about my blog (I accidentally mentioned it to my business teacher one day and said teacher keeps mentioning it!) but some of my peers were quite negative about my blog which really surprised me! The older generation are much more open and accepting to the idea of blogs I’ve found, in comparison to my peers who appear to be hostile about my blog and make subtle digs in conversations. Having said that, this only makes me more determined to blog and to blog in a professional and articulate manner. I’m slightly older than some teenager bloggers so I’m not perceived as a child as I’m 17 but the younger bloggers shouldn’t be undermined due to their age, it’s only how many times they’ve rotated around the Sun.  

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I'd love to hear your opinion on this, whether a teen blogger or not. Leave a comment below or tweet me @0mgrachel!

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