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Kōrero: Childhood

The rise of the tween

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The rise of the tween

The word 'tween' – derived from a combination of 'teenager' and 'between' – was applied to children (mainly girls) aged between around 8 and 12 in the 2000s. Many commentators have argued that the tween phenomenon highlights the growing commercialisation of childhood, because it was invented by marketers to sell more goods to new consumers. This group of girls in this age bracket (accompanied by an adult) are at a Trelise Cooper Kids fashion parade in Auckland in 2007.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

New Zealand Herald

Reference: 190507NZHTRELISE15.JPG

by Chris Melville

Permission of the New Zealand Herald must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Kerryn Pollock, Childhood – Defining childhood, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/26263/the-rise-of-the-tween (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Kerryn Pollock, i tāngia i te 22 March 2011.