I was a teenager when 90210 was on, and I never bought them as teenagers. My being a similar-ish age made it seem even more ridiculous to me.
I hope this new character feels like a real teenager. Jake and Nog felt like "real" teens and later young adults. Icheb too. Jake was the "normal kid". Nog was the one everyone treated like a "trouble-maker" because they pre-judged him and he acted to the stereotype until he looked at how his father was and realized he wanted to be more (which then rubbed off on Rom). Icheb was the AP kid.
Wesley is the only teenager who was a bit mixed in his handling. He's over-eager and excited in the first season. Seems more "normal" in the second, third, and fourth seasons. Then, when he's at the Academy, and off the Enterprise, he loses his way and then goes with the Traveller. I wonder if, as brilliant as Wesley was, if he was on the spectrum, maybe?
But, anyway, they handled three out of four regular/recurring teen characters well. For a child character, Naomi was good too.
I could take or leave Child Alexander. The less said about Teen Alexander the better.
EDIT: Seven of Nine and S2 Saru were sort of Unofficial Teenagers. Seven's outlook on the Federation was similar to my outlook toward the world in general when I was 18.
