teen
[C] Countable
pl: teens
This term functions as a casual shorthand for adolescent, stripping away the clinical or biological weight of puberty. It carries a social connotation of transition, often associated with a specific subculture of rebellion, discovery, and the awkward gap between childhood and adulthood. While adolescent is used in medical or sociological reports, teen is the standard for marketing, pop culture, and everyday conversation. It evokes a feeling of restlessness and the specific social dynamics of high school life.
Countable when referring to individual people in that age group, such as three teens hanging out at the mall.