people are growing up faster these days. i didnt even wear make up untill i was 14 well i used to be a tomboy lol. there are loads of young people getting into clubs and everything these days and then the lads normally end up getting into trouble when the girls shouldnt even be in the clubs untill they are 18 anyway. its easier for girls to look older with the clothes and make up they wear aswell

I attribute it to the growing trend of teen magazines, teen girl shows that show them acting more mature than their age, and also the fashion industry pushing adult fashions into the teen scene for the profits. I feel that just because they mature at a faster pace then boys, doesn't mean they should be thrust into adulthood any sooner, and that includes dressing in a way that makes one appear to be older. Also we live in a society where sex is being explored at an earlier age (unfortunately) and I believe that a lot of it has to do with how adult the girls are making themselves look as well as the entertainment industry pushing that it's ok to do at that age. I've drifted...

Probably because of the way they dress, the amount of make-up they wear, and the way they act. They see things in magazines and on TV/Movies and think that is how they should be, that is what society expects of young women, or the only way they will attract a boy/guy is by looking "sexy". They don't realize it only invites trouble when they try to imitate adults. (believe me teens you don't want adult problems at this point in your lives!). This is the best time of their lives and they shouldn't worry about what others in society think. They should dress however they feel comfortabe and just have fun being themselves.

I think it is the way their bodies are these days. They are biuld bigger and I think that makes them look alittle older skinnier people tend to look younger to me and I will be marked down for this but most of them have very big breast for their age with I think also makes them look older. I know that both my step daughters developed very early and are much bigger than I will ever be their ages are 17 and 14.

Because they paint an older looking face on with make-up

the makeup those chicks wear! and the foods they eat; make their body devope faster from the hormones,

...couple of reasons I figure...1, they want to..they dress, makeup, and act older. 2, kids live more intense lives now..so much goin on..so much to deal with...that alone can age you.... Lifestress can age a body and mind... ..imho..

I think it is the steroids in the KFC Chicken! The clothes they wear. I would NEVER let my daughter out of the house wearing some of the stuff I see girls their age wearing! When I was a kid I would have thought they were hookers!

neutrition chemicals caloric intake style . ironic thing is while they are biologicaly adult earlier now, before industrialization they were socialy an adult earlier

Wear and tear. They are starting sex and other wild living at such an early age that by the time they are 40 they will look 60.

Tight clothes, makeup, and negative vices are coming about much sooner than they used to.

make-up and boobs. The foods that we eat are so fortified with steroids to make the animal grow faster that it has to have some effect on humans. Girls didn't have boobs going into high school when I was a kid. They have them by 7th grade now!

Too many parents remain oblivious to the sexualization of their children. I have 2 daughters. One is now a professional ballerina. Back in her younger days, she was a talented dance student. I tried, very diligently to get her the best instruction wherever I could find it...including with the great Arthur Mitchell. Along the way, from ages 5 on up, we encountered dance studios and teachers who tried to dress her inappropriately for her age and have her perform like a stripper. I took her out of one Northern Virginia studio on the spot when we parents were brought in to see a "competition" number where our children (ages 7-10) were dancing to "Fever" dressed in a man's shirt and using chairs as props while they simulated sexual acts. I was the only parent to find it inappropriate. Needless to say, we left that studio in a hurry. That experience was repeated over and over through the years. I just don't get why every parent out there doesn't sound off about this sort of thing.

I think the hormones they put in food have a lot to do with it. Plus there are way too many sexual influences in the world today. Kids don't know how to make decisions for themselves therefor they are going to follow the crowd/media.

i bet when i was young the older poeple said the same ,

cauz they WAN-TO... soundz stupid i knw... but it iz true... peace!!!

Times change, but it is a concern. The poor little buggers just don't realise how they'll be viewed by the undesirables in our society, they're just kids playing dress up, they have no real understanding of sexuality, all of that is in the minds of their observers. I completely understand the innocence of their actions, dress, and make up, but sadly, in this highly sexualised world, their are many out there who lack the maturity to see those little girls for what they really are, and that's children. I have a friend with a 10 and a 13 year old, those poor little girls had boobs when they were 8, it's not their fault nature is also starting on them at such a young age, but I was horrified when I saw them dressed with their boobs pushed together showing what appeared to be an 18 year old cleavage. The things is, I know them, I know they're innocent and very lovely kids, but it is a worry how others may perceive them. Unfortunately the cat is out of the bag, we may as well get used to it, or pray for their sakes there's a change in the fashions. The one thing we must all be fair and recognise is this, all of this is Adult driven, kids don't create these things, Adults do.

Make-up? Plastic surgery? Hair extensions? The lists kinda endless.

Make up buut it is scary when u find urself lookin at a girl then find out her age, really shouldnt be allowed.

Simply because they want to get more from life and be like adults..no restrictions on sex, dates, drinks, money etc. but these don't come without a price..stress, heartache, deseases, conflicts, disappointments and unwanted babies...in no time they'll look like their parents or worst grandparents..so thats why old folks are smiling more because they are looking much better than their grandchildren and children.

hormones and enviornmental factors cause them to physically mature fatser. and by natural selection we have more desireable looking offspring. plus they get away with more at younger ages because society finds it acceptable, make-up, body peircings, sex, alcohol, drugs ect

Make up, clothes and growth hormones found in food. Which leads to things like this http://www.naschenweng.info/media/blogs/a/lifestyle/jailbait.jpg

they are in such a hurry to grow up and be adults.they wear clothes for older women and follow trends from the magazines they read. wait until they get older and wish they were young again.

i hear that! i swear i can see myself in the near future telling the court '' she told me she was 18! why was she in the club anyways.... its not my job to ID chicks, it's the bouncers, sue the club, not me''

I don't know if they actually do, t least not older than they did in the 60s. Maybe they went back to looking younger in the 80s for awhile. They may dress more adult and often they have a harder, more world weary face, but I don't think they really do look older, in fact many look like little kids trying to be older than they are, at least to me they look like that.

society has brainwashed them into thinking they're not pretty enough. has anyone noticed that even parents are starting to dress their kids like that? no wonder there are pedophiles out there.

I'd say its because you're getting older so they look older to you

hmm, we were just talking about this the other day (me and my mum). My sister went out to the cinema with some girls from her school (about 11/12 yr olds) and it was just shocking to see what some of the girls were wearing. :S. such low cut tops and mini skirts and walking with such attitude. At 11 !! Just a bit scary. They are still children. Should be able to have fun like children not grow up to quickly. Crazy really. Suppose it's what the see on the T.v. and magazines and other things like that.

Hormones in the water and the milk... It is the same reason why boys are femanine and whimpy!

Global Warming. Blame it for everything.

Enviromental Factors : Air, Water, Soil and Food, coupled with Social Enviroment, what we hear what we see what others do etc ... Nothing new here, been this way for centuries and only getting worse as all factors down grade living conditions for future generations and the march to extiction will only quicken ... ~Nemo~

Because they want to look older soo they dress and pamper themselves to look like it.

everyones tends to ask that, i think it might be the fast pace teens live by, or must be what they eat b/c i have visited many other countries and the girls look their age, sometimes younger. parents now a days give their children a lot of liberty and teens take this to their advantage and want to rush through life doing everything when ever they feel like it instead of taking things 1 step at a time like they should.

I think all that babysitting must have gotten to them. It makes them feel like real mothers so they try to look the part.

It's to their advantage to look older. Hey, it's not ME. THEY think that. So they dress older and use makeup and such to look older.

I think they want to look desirable to teenage boys and be noticed. It's just a fact of life in the 21st-century, non-Amish, non-Islamic, Western culture. Curiously (to guys), dressing to maximize sex appeal does not mean they are all looking to get laid. It's just fashion. Sometimes you see 13-y/o girls displaying cleavage. We (guys) have to twist our necks 90° to the side and pour cold beer down our pants. Yes, I know, it seems like a waste of good beer, but it keeps the girls safe and keeps us out of jail. :)

Girls have always looked older than they are, as far back as I can remember. I think we compare girls to boys the same age, and perhaps that's why they appear older.

Well....Its the style to dress older than what they are. Look at your Tv, how did britney spears dress when she was 16? Jamie, how about mrs hannah montana?...Tv says, YOU NEED TO DRESS SEXY. So...they do, making them look older. Its also a combination with the food we eat (just a theory)...but all the hormones and antibodies, and genetic mutations to the food, it cant be good expecially when WE put it in our bodies. Girls mature to early, people gaining weight uncontrollably...ITs just an all around thing. Things just need to be changed...cuz nobody wants to be a 26 year old man, at a bar...meet a girl, thinks shes 21...takes her home, she gets pregnant, and it ends up shes only 16. YaY! jail.

well cause they wear clothes that make them look older and they would also put on make up

I looked older when I was young...I went to the bars at 14..(back when the drinking age was 18)...it had to do with how I dressed and carried myself. Usually all a young girl has to do is open her mouth to show her real age....the thoughts are much different then a girl/woman who is older.

puberty coming earlier for girls, and the way they dress, ive became use to it because im still a teen and some times i see i girl that is way older than i think because she doesnt dress like the girls at my school dress, odd how brains work and what some simple things can change

I remember reading once that do to images in the media such as film or television it causes the body to mature much faster nowadays. Kinda like evolution. I said I read that... not that I believe it.

Heh, I'm seventeen and I still get offered the "12 & Under" discount. I look like a kid. :) But girls do try to look older. They also try to act more mature than their age (which often fails miserably.) Just the influences around us, I guess. Though I think teenagers should enjoy their time as kids! I don't want to grow up and have to have so many responsibilities, but some people can't wait!