The teen documentary "My Year 12 Life" debuted on Australian TV on Monday, Feb. 20. The reality TV show features 14 students, under the age of 17 or 18, who take video blog documentaries (vlogumentary) of their final year in high school before heading off to college or entering the job force.
It's a show that tackles the joys and pains of finishing high school, preparing for the college exams, while transitioning to adulthood. As the kids talk about struggling with exams or projects in the vlogumentary, they also discuss relationships and sex, as well as their plans, hopes and dreams after high school graduation.
According to The Guardian, Year 12 is crucial for Australian high school students. It's when the kids prepare for their HSC exams, which determines their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). As one of the kids said in the documentary, the ATAR might as well determine "the rest of their life," as getting a good ATAR score means getting into a good university that could help land good jobs in the future.
"My Year 12 Life" might be big on voyeurism as viewers follow these kids navigate high school in a format similar to "Big Brother," another reality TV show. Parents, however, can learn a few things from watching the series especially if they have high school students. The show should help moms and dads see the kind of pressure Year 12 kids face today and perhaps initiate a conversation about this with their own teenagers.
Tom Forrest, one of the kids participating in the vlogumentary, said his Year 12 experience was life-changing. He was a nervous kid a year ago, but he was also "excited and ready for a full year of adventure."
"Teenagers will have something to relate to," Forrest said, according to The West. "Teenagers who aren't in Year 12 yet will get some advice," he added.
Zoe Mallet, another student, had a different experience. "It was the worst year of my life," she said, according to Sydney Morning Herald. "I developed quite a bit of mental illness from my own personal expectation."
"My Year 12 Life" was created by American-born Melbourne TV executive Laura Waters based on her daughter's experience. "Because I didn't grow up in this country, I was shocked at the ATAR and the pressure the kids were under; to believe this one number meant everything," Waters told The Australian. "We hope this series starts a much-needed national conversation about whether this is really the best way to launch kids into their futures."
