In the American economy, teens are usually seen as frivolous consumers. They have little or no overhead and can blow money on costly coffee concoctions and continuously changing fashion trends.

But as the global recession deepens, no one is immune, not even the younger members of our community.

Teenagers have eyes and ears. They see the news broadcasts and the stock reports, and they are painfully aware of the economic situation faced by our country as it trickles down from Mom and Dad to them.

We opened a discussion this week to talk about the economy as experienced by teens in the Sacramento area.

Our Teen Style correspondents offered their thoughts on what is going on now, what's to come and how we can keep hoping for better.

How has the current economic situation impacted you and those around you?

Hallie McKnight, Loretto High School: Mostly, the economy has affected me with (Loretto) closing. And my mom works at the school, so she'll be losing her job.

Kiki Vo, West Campus High School: Since the economy worsened, it's hurt people around me a lot. It's depressing. A lot of people I know through church have had their hours reduced, and a lot of my friends are talking about dropping out of school to get work. It's terrible.

Tamar Kuyumjian, Loretto High School: I'm a teacher's assistant at Sylvan Learning Center in Arden on the weekends, and now I'm working fewer hours. … Parents can't afford to send their kids for as many hours.

Jacob Ruffman, Granite Bay High School: Both my parents work at Folsom Prison and they just don't know what's going to happen next. This will affect where I can afford to go to college, which will influence the rest of my life.

Has the economy changed your world outlook?

Hallie: I'm sort of on the fence about how I feel right now. Sometimes, the economy and the world seem kind of bleak and hopeless. But I also think that everyone who should be working on it is.

Kiki: Mostly, I get scared with talk of a second Great Depression. But I also think that Americans have enough and can help each other. We just need to know how to conserve and need to know how important charity is.

Tamar: I have to take my spending into consideration a lot more. Do I really want to go to Starbucks or spend money on something knowing that it will take longer for me to earn it back?

Jacob: My world view hasn't changed that much with the economy because it didn't take the economy getting worse for me to know the problems in America. I'm not a naive person when it comes to injustices in the world and I think the biggest one right now is greed.

What are your primary concerns with the possibility that the economy may worsen?

Hallie: There is so much bad stuff going on. I'd rather just ignore it because it's upsetting that I can't do anything about it myself.

Kiki: I'm worried right now mostly because there are no jobs available. My dad does landscaping, and people don't want to spend money so my dad just stays home. We're OK for now, but I'm afraid that I might have to drop out to get a job.

Tamar: Personally, I'm a little worried about college tuition because the two top schools that I got into that I really want to go to are private. I'm really going to be relying on financial aid.

Jacob: It makes me worried about college and if I'll be able to pay for it.

A study by World Vision, a charitable organization, found that the current economic climate has made teens more aware of the needs of others. Would you agree with this?

Hallie: I think in some ways that's true. But it's also made them more aware of their own needs. Parents aren't as willing to give $20 to go shopping, and we all have to look at how much money we spend.

Kiki: Yes, definitely. When you see the worst, you start to realize how lucky you are. My life is not much better than most people's, but I am really aware of what others don't have.

Tamar: Yes, I think that's true generally. Like at school, we do a lot of collections for Lent, and people seem much more willing to give toward that.

Jacob: That's not for me. I've known for some time, and it didn't take a crisis to see what's wrong with world. If it takes teens this long to figure out the needs of other people, there's something wrong in the first place.

What keeps your hopes up at a time like this?

Hallie: I hope things don't turn into a Great Depression. But I know that even if it does, the Great Depression eventually got fixed.

Kiki: One thing is my religion and I just hope that as humans overall and with our new president, we will know to help each other.

Tamar: I know there are a lot of people in the government and in private institutions doing what they can. That gives me hope.

Jacob: I really trust Barack Obama. I hate to sum it up in one person, but it's him and the grass-roots efforts he inspires.