Here's yet another ACS chart. It shows the percentage of "disconnected youth," which means late teens who aren't in school and aren't working:
This one isn't as surprising as the other two (I don't know how they're going to turn out until I grab the numbers from FRED). Basically, fewer kids became unmotivated slackers during the Obama/Trump economic expansion, but that turned around slightly during the pandemic. But the number is still way lower than it was in 2010.
It's obvious from the chart that the decline of malls has endangered the species homo mallratus (aka slacker teens), which is poised for extinction as their habitat gradually shrinks to nothing - unless they are revived by bringing back Sears, Radio Shack, Comp USA, Toys R Us, Blockbuster, Borders, et al.
The boys are hitting the gym, if my own club is any indication.
They're not slackers. Those kids are societally detached.
Slackers is the kid in my honors class who was probably the smartest one there but didn't give two shits about studying and grades, who rejoiced at getting a C+ without doing any work.
And I'm not making any of this up. He really loved heavy metal music.