Meanings
- neologismuncountableThe fear or hostility directed by an older generation toward a younger one, or toward youth culture in general.
One particularly salient and instructive example of a full blown juvenoia from recent time was the comic book scare of the 1950s, elaborated in a fascinating book by David Hajdu, The 10 Cent Plague.(Hajdu, 2009)
2011 January 28, David Finkelhor, “The Internet, Youth Safety and the Problem of “Juvenoia””, in University of New Hampshire, Crimes against Children Research Center, archived from the original on 08 Jul 2014, page 141 more example
I suspect that this case and the attention it has garnered is another example of juvenoia. Juvenoia, a term usually credited to sociologist David Finkelhor, refers to the fear of juveniles by older adults. Juvenoia is manifest in a multitude of ways, including the belief that today’s youth are worse behaved than ever before, despite much evidence to the contrary.
2014 March 12, Chris Ferguson, “What’s Really Wrong With Young People Today: Juvenoia”, in TIME, archived from the original on 20 May 2025
Origin
Coined by American sociologist David Finkelhor in 2010, from a blend of juvenile + paranoia.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
juvenoia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/juvenoia
“juvenoia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/juvenoia. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “juvenoia,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/juvenoia.
Source: juvenoia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.