Trope Workshop:No Place for Any Adolescent

""You want to know the best part about childhood? At some point, it stops.""

- Malcolm

Depending of the regions, children and teenagers are often Blessed with Suck since they're under the rules of whoever is in change, usually their parents but anyone who has guardianship of them while proving the basic needs. However, what if it was cranked up, say on a societal measure? What if laws against youth rebellion were put in place, even for yelling at someone in change?

The official term for this is called "Adultism" and it sounds like it says: "Prejudice and accompanying methodical discrimination against juveniles". There are two sub-version of this:


 * Ephebiphobia: Fear or loathing teenagers
 * Pedophobia: Fear of children, those who yet to hit puberty

For the purpose of this trope, a societal element is required since Abusive Parents are one thing but not always the case. This will focus on mostly "institutional form", such as laws and/or school system that would get the attention of a Mama Bear and/or Papa Wolf. If it's set in a dystopian society with a protective parent willing to anything for their child, that counts too.

The term "underage" varies on different countries often referencing to "age of majority", depends on what countries has it set, with the United States for example at 21 is considered an adult. On the other hand, medical science has placed adulthood at 25 years since that's when the pre-frontal cortex has been completed for the task of decision, its main function. Given that info, what would classify for this trope? For starter, the age limit for this trope purpose will be 20 when the term "teen" no longer appears when it age is mention. While an age being mention is optional, the work has to apply the existence of this trope.

Here are others:
 * Type 1: Societal Level –- There are laws against adolescents including the legal right to have a disorderly one be taken. This can be by the request of parents or not.
 * 1A: If the adolescent is subjected to any form of punishments including corporal by the law, it would count especially if it's done in public.
 * 1B: The adolescent is sent to a competition with injuries and/or death is likely and done by forced, especially by those who just lack empathy.
 * 1C: If adolescents are being exposed to environmental vulnerability or being subjected to unethical experiments against their will, it would also count on societal level.
 * Type 2: Institutional Level –- An institution like school or juvenile hall that an adolescent are treated poorly but is treated no differently than adults on the outside.
 * Bonus, if a Mama Bear and/or Papa Wolf happens to discovered this, but any kid-friendly adult would count.
 * Type 3: Similar to a Type 2 or 3 on the Wasteland scale, but a world without adults doesn't mean adolescents who are left are out of harm's way.

Note: This is different from a Childless Dystopia because it's unclear if they are any children around, hidden or not. Teenage Wasteland, on the other hand, type 4 is exception because even if the young is in charge, life isn't any easier.

 Different Reasons why it's Not Kid Friendly 
 * School has haters, sadists, and evil educators.
 * Bonus, if the person in question is the principal.
 * Those that made it their mission to stops a Rebellious Spirit of children, even if they get called out for it
 * Where it's common to abuse in where adolescents are in detention, especially if a Dirty Cop and/or Rabid Cop is behind the situation.
 * A situation that could be the health and/or life of adolescents is put in danger and adults often ignored until...

Due to the nature of this trope, it's advised Real Life Examples aren't to be in included. While there is truth behind this tropes, but it can be abused itself should real life examples are placed. This is due to the controversy behind it when it comes to real life, which is the clause has been put in place. Documentaries would likely fall under the Real Life clause, which the rule is about.

However, if the work is based loosely based on a real life case like a  news case or a memoir, then the “No Real Example” clause is excused for the adaption of that work ONLY. Roman à Clef would also be excuse from the “No Real Example” rule because while based on a true story, names of people and location are often altered for privacy reasons, regardless of the outcomes of the parties involved. This page is dedicated to examples in WORKS ONLY.

 Sub-Tropes 
 * Boarding School of Horrors
 * Orphanage of Fear
 * Harmful to Minors
 * Hide Your Children
 * Teenage Wasteland, where adults are even useless or simply no longer exist. However, depending on the type, life for adolescents may not be any easier.

Compare to Would Hurt a Child and Crapsack World

Anime and Manga

 * Gakuen Alice: Alice Academy – Type 2
 * Grave of the Fireflies: Since it’s set during and following the firebombing of Kobe, it’s shouldn’t be a surprise that this Japanese animated film display a 1C scenario exceptionally profoundly.

Film

 * Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: Vulgaria... NO CHILDREN ALLOWED!
 * Class of 1984: Students are forced to pass to metal detector thanks to an increase risk of problems with gangs, drugs and violence. In the Class of 1999 sequel, many of the teachers are replaced with sentient robots that ends up taking their schools too serious, even for the IT department. Since it’s unclear on from the outside, this is mostly a Type 2.
 * Class of Nuke 'Em High: There a school near a nuclear power plant... and there's a leak. Due to this situation and the incidents following it, this would be under a 1C condition.
 * The Faculty: A group of students must survive an alien invasion that made their teachers into monsters.
 *  Kids in America: A bully for a principal vs. a group of students.... On the surface, appears to be a Type 1, but later leans towards a Type 2.

Literature

 * Works by Roald Dahl tends to fits this.
 * Battle Royale and The Hunger Games trilogy: Teenagers are selected to take in battles to the death. As a result, a Type 1B case on both works.
 * Captain Underpants: A Type 2 circumstances, forcing George and Harold to take revenge by hypnotizing their principal, Mr. Krupp, into the title character whenever someone snaps their fingers and the rest is history.
 * The Chocolate War
 * Divergent Series: Teenagers who are confirmed to be a “divergent” are targeted for death. Due to this, the protagonist must found about before she’s found out herself, marking this Type 1.
 *  Delirium: Love is declared a mental illness and teenagers must under go a surgical method to be “cured”, making this mostly a Type 1.
 * Gone Series: Adolescents are left behind after an unknown phenomenon causes everyone over the age of 15 to disappear. A dome is put in place in the Californian town where it happened, but life isn't made easier for the survivors. This would fit a Type 3 situation due to the uncertainty the survivors face.
 *  Jane Eyre: Lowood School the title character is sent to but it eventually found out during a typhus outbreak, therefore making this both a Type 2 scenario and Older Than Radio.
 * Lord of the Flies: A group of boys find themselves on an island without adults, the oldest, Ralph, is twelve years old. The group attempts to set up a form of government until help can arrive.
 * Never Let Me Go: Subverted, while the staff is kid-friendly, they struggle to convince the public the children,  that’s they’re just as human as they are, even if they can protest for  to spare them.
 * The Program series: Subverted, parents try out a new suicide prevention method to “help” the youth population, but it comes at a cost. One does wonder why many are being Driven to Suicide in the first place.
 * Shade's Children: An alien invasion leads to the death of adults and the harvesting of children for their organs.
 * Shadow Children: With the exception of the first and second born children, third-born and so on are banned. Those in violation could face punishments, which include the death sentence.
 * Truancy: A student rebellion forms thanks to the strict system in a totalitarian city via education.
 * Unwind series: An agreement over abortion lead to a system with teenagers can be put to death and have their organs harvested.
 * The Declaration Trilogy, child birth is discouraged in order to prevent overpopulation when immortality has been understood unless they “Opt Out” and is allowed to have one child. Children born to those who didn’t “Opt Out” or had but is a parent already are known as “Surpluses”. While most of them are killed, some are taken to institutions by the state, which was Anna's situation. While this would make it a Type 2, but due to the social input… a clear Type 1.
 * However, a Surplus could later be declared a Legal if left orphaned.

Live Action TV

 * The Good Wife: “Lifeguard” focuses on a judge who is caught getting kickbacks in exchange for juveniles to be sent to private detention centers, based on the Kids for Cash Scandal.
 * iCarly: In "iHave My Principals", the school under Howard and Briggs meets this trope. This is mostly on a Type 2 situation since it's unclear if any adult from the outside would've helped.
 * Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide: Averted, In “Principals” Crubbs almost makes the school Type 2 case, but
 * The Tribe: A New Zealand program about adolescent survivors of a plague that left them orphaned. This is a full-blown Type 3 situation due in part of the adults being killed by the plague. The series focuses on survivors and new societies they must formed as a result.

Western Animation

 * The Simpsons (animation):
 * "Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays": Springfield temporary becomes this after a baby riot. When plans to make matters worse arrive, Marge has come her own plan for families although it’s  who does save day for the children of Springfield.
 * Downplayed “Wild Barts Can't Be Broken”: After Homer and his friends crashed a Springfield Elementary School after the Springfield Isotopes winning the National League pennant, a curfew is put in place and a few kids including Bart gets sentenced to community service for breaking it. Chef Wiggum drives off, with his car throwing mud at the kid, prompting Bart to form a rebellion..