Teen

Teen is the fourth life stage of a Sim in The Sims 2, The Sims Stories, and The Sims 3 after Child and before Young Adult (Adult in The Sims 2 and The Sims Stories). Teens are the third life stage in The Sims 4. Teens are not included in the console games based on The Sims 2 or in The Sims Medieval.

The teen life stage is not present in The Sims, as Sims in this game do not age, but players can download head and body skins which can give a Sim the appearance of being a teen.

The life stage is featured in The Sims FreePlay with the Teenagers update, in which pre-teens can grow up to the teen life stage by completing a certain quest. Prior to the update, Sims can only grow as far as the pre-teen life stage.

Physiology
Teen Sims in The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 are taller than children, but shorter than adults and young adults. In The Sims 4, teens are the same height as adults and young adults, but have thinner frames, fewer body curves, and pudgier faces to indicate youth.

The teen life stage lasts for 14 or 15 days, and represents a Sim's life from approximately 12 or 13 to approximately 17 or 18. Teens can grow up earlier if they go to college.

In The Sims 2, some teens will develop acne if their hygiene motive falls too low. This adds a "use acne cream" option when using the mirror and the teen will act frightened when they "gussy up." Notably, if one of a teen's close relatives (such as a parent or sibling) has or once had acne problems, the teen is significantly more likely to get acne too. Acne is not, however, a game mechanic in The Sims 3. Teens can also use gym equipment, and it becomes necessary in order to stay fit.

Teens in The Sims 2 are unique in that they can age up into one of two separate life stages: Young Adult or Adult. If The Sims 2: University is installed, the player has the option to send a teen to college, where they will first live as a young adult, otherwise they will skip ahead to the adult stage. In The Sims 3 and The Sims 4, the player does not have this choice; they will always age up into a young adult.

Things that teens can do that younger life stages can't:


 * Build all skills
 * Take full care of babies and toddlers.
 * Get a part-time job
 * Pay bills
 * Cook meals
 * Can partner and own companies
 * Have romantic relationships
 * Sneak out
 * Teach a toddler toddler skills
 * Live on their own if parents die
 * Drive cars
 * Learn to drive
 * Not be taken away by the Social Worker
 * Check themselves out in a mirror


 * Die by Electrocution
 * Die of Starvation
 * Die of the Mummy's Curse
 * Die by Traps
 * Die of Thirst
 * Male Sims can have facial hair
 * Graduate
 * Be arrested when pulling pranks
 * Go to the prom
 * Snub other teen Sims
 * Teach a dog new tricks
 * Teach a dog to hunt
 * Ride a Horse
 * Create Street Art
 * Troll on Forum

Things that Teens can do that older Sims can't:
 * Pull pranks
 * Go to prom
 * Snub other teen Sims
 * Learn to drive
 * Go to school
 * Do homework
 * Attend an after-school activity
 * Check themselves out in a mirror (Flirty and Snob Sims only)
 * Exchange promise rings

Personality
In The Sims 2 and The Sims Stories, when a Sim child becomes a teenager, their aspiration can be chosen by the player. If Nightlife or later is installed, turn-ons and turn-offs are also assigned at this point. However, if the "age NPCs" feature of FreeTime is used to age a child Townie to a teen, the player will not be able to choose that Sim's aspiration, turn-ons and turn-off.

In The Sims 3 and The Sims 3 for consoles, teens have four traits and are able to choose from all of the available traits, unlike the younger life stages. Teens may also gain and potentially fulfill an early lifetime wish during this stage in the same manner as child Sims, though the player is not required to assign them lifetime wishes until they age up into young adults. Teens have four trait slots that the player can fill in; they add one trait when they age up. If The Sims 3: Generations is installed, teens are offered a chance to defy parental authority by pulling pranks, holding a teenage party while their parents are away or sneaking out while grounded. They may also randomly suffer from mood swings.

In The Sims 4, just like in The Sims 2, teenagers' aspirations can be chosen by the player, after they age up from a child. Teens have two trait slots to fill in; one trait is added when they age up from a child.

Romance
The teen stage may serve as an important period in a Sim's development, as Sims can begin to build their first romantic relationships from this point onwards. Most teen Sims will have a recurring want for their first kiss and to go steady with another Sim.

Without the use of mods or hacks, teens can perform all romantic interactions except WooHoo, Get Married, Propose Marriage, or Try for Baby, though they can still take care of existing babies and toddlers in the same way as older Sims. In The Sims 2 and The Sims Stories, their romantic relationships are restricted to other teens, and will be automatically broken if one teen ages up and the other does not. In The Sims 3, however, a teen dating another teen who ages up into a Young Adult will remain listed as their boyfriend or girlfriend, but romantic interactions between them will be disabled until the other teen has also aged up. This is the only legitimate way for a teenage Sim to have a romantic relationship with an older Sim.

In The Sims 4, teens are not able to WooHoo, but they can "Mess Around" and exchange promise rings.

Responsibilities & privileges
Teens may begin to take on new responsibilities such as getting a part-time job after school or on the weekends, though they still cannot have a full-time job. Like children, they must maintain good grades, and with The Sims 2: University installed, success at school and in skill building can earn valuable scholarship money for use during a Sim's college years.

Teens also get some perks. They can cook meals and drive a car. They can also live on their own if their parents both die or if all the older Sims in the household move out of their home lot. In The Sims 2, it is even possible for teens to run away if their relationship with their family is too low. In The Sims 3, if World Adventures is installed, teens can travel abroad by themselves. In both The Sims 2 and The Sims 3, teens cannot be taken away by the Social Worker.

Like children, teenage Sims have a curfew in The Sims 3. However, the town curfew for teens is 11:00pm, which is an hour later than the curfew for child Sims. Teens who violate the curfew will also get the positive Out after Curfew moodlet while doing so, whereas children do not. Furthermore, teenage Sims may be caught violating the curfew by the police, at which point they will be sent home and given the negative Caught after Curfew moodlet.

If Generations is installed, teens can graduate and attend a prom at their school. At the prom, they may choose to go alone or with a date, and graduation automatically occurs at the end of the teen life stage.

A variety of things can happen at a prom, such as getting ditched by a date, being denied on the dance floor, or getting into a fight.

Trivia

 * In The Sims 2, The Sims 4, and The Sims Stories, Teens do not have a curfew, and are therefore able to remain on community lots for just as long as adults. In The Sims 3 and The Sims 3 for console, however, teens have an 11:00 PM curfew unless accompanied by an older Sim. This cannot be avoided by using items such as tents.
 * In The Sims 2, The Sims Stories, and The Sims FreePlay, the name of the life stage is called "Teenager" while The Sims 3, The Sims 3 for consoles, The Sims 3 Pets, and The Sims 4 simply calls them "Teen". However, the manuals for The Sims 2 and The Sims Stories, as well as the help messages in The Sims 2, calls them "Teen" as well.
 * Teen is the first life stage to have a name change with The Sims 3 calling them teen instead of teenager, the second being child and the third being elder which were renamed in The Sims FreePlay to "preteen" and "senior", respectively. However, The Sims 4 kept the names used in The Sims 3 instead of using the names in FreePlay.