Adultescents; THE OVER-40s TRYING TO BE TEENS.

Byline: DAVID EDWARDS 

THEY wear Nike trainers, spend hours on their PlayStation2, are obsessed by Harry Potter and can often be seen parking their micro-scooters outside Topman.

This may sound like a fashion-conscious teenager - but it's more likely to be an "adultescent", the new breed of 40-something who's determined not to grow up.

The internet and the explosion in TV channels has helped create this phenomenon, according to advertising expert Richard Exon.

"Not long ago, when you hit 40 it was time for slippers and a Labrador. But not any more."

Richard, advertising director with agency BBH, adds: "The web means that everyone is more aware of the latest fashions, films and music - so parents are likely to be just as trendy as their children."

Adultescents - or kidults - include Jerry Hall, Nicky Haslam, Jeremy Irons, Fatboy Slim, Richard Madeley and even Bill Clinton.

Madeley is a prime example of this new breed of man.

He may be 47 but that didn't stop him adopting a look most 20-somethings would have been proud of.

Just a few years ago, today's adultescent would have been wearing a bottle-green V-neck sweater and driving a people carrier with Cliff Richard at a sensible volume on the stereo.

Today, they're more likely to be rocking in an Audi TT or Volkswagen Beetle - cars which appeal to the inner-child.

FATBOY Slim, 40, may be a father but he still rides a micro-scooter along Brighton seafront, while Fender Strat-strumming Tony Blair rolled back his 50 years to wear a youthful maroon suit on a trip to India last year.

The notion that age is not a number but a state of mind is supported by the facts, which point to an increasing number of adults reverting to a second childhood.

In 1990, for instance, the average video-game player was a youthful 18 - now they're 29.

In last year's Big Read poll, a third of the 21 books in the final were written for children but mainly voted for by adults. Last week, the children's book The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time won the Whitbread Prize.

At the same time, books such as JK Rowling's Harry Potter series and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials have helped double the number of adults reading children's books.

Adultescent buying patterns have caused ripples in the high street, where they're snapping up clothes aimed at teenagers.

A Topman spokeswoman says: "Our key target is 15- to 25-year- olds but we're seeing more and more 40-somethings coming into stores. Traditional age barriers are coming down fast."

Yet while this new breed sees nothing wrong in spending more time playing Grand Theft Auto III than their children, some experts think it may be harmful.

"Nostalgia for childhood might seem fun but it is symptomatic of a profound insecurity about the future," says sociologist Frank Furedi, of the University of Kent.

Philip Hodson, of the British Association Of Counselling And Psychotherapy, is also worried.

HE says: "When parents assume the same sort of role as their children, start to act like them and mix with their friends, it is a sign that something is lacking in their own lives."

But while the middle-aged are acting their Nike-clad shoe size, the young are putting aside childish things in a bid to get ahead.

Increasing numbers of 20-somethings are landing jobs earlier and working harder as they try to emulate the success of entrepreneurs such as Martha Lane Fox or Bill Gates, who both broke through at a young age.

Once again, there's a negative aspect, with evidence that this go-get-it lifestyle could be contributing to the rising tide of mental illness.

Figures from the Office For National Statistics show the number of 25-to-34-year-olds being treated for depression is rising 10 per cent year on year.

Nick Baylis, a psychologist and lecturer at Cambridge University believes he knows why.

"Fears for the future, job and financial insecurity and the 'work hard, play hard' mentality are forcing young people to toil in a neurotically hard and grown-up way to achieve what they think will be satisfaction."

So it seems the tables have turned completely.

People who should know better are enjoying a second childhood, while youngsters seem intent on giving their "first" childhood a miss.

TONY BLAIR, 50

THE Prime Minister still acts like a man half his age. Attempts to recapture his youth include becoming a dad for the fourth time in 2000 and strumming his Fender Stratocaster wearing blue jeans.RICHARD MADELEY, 47

NOT content with a new tousled haircut and open-neck shirt, the daddy cool of daytime TV has taken to growing stubble and wearing leather jackets to film premieres. Please make it stop.MADONNA, 45

POSING with Missy Elliott for a Gap ad wasn't enough for Madge - she then snogged Britney at the MTV awards.HARRISON FORD, 61

Old Indiana acquired an earring and a Harley-Davidson when he started dating actress Calista Flockhart, 22 years his junior.PAUL McCARTNEY, 61

HE married Heather Mills, 25 years his junior, dyed his hair and tried to tap into yoof culture by moving next door to Fatboy Slim.GRAHAM NORTON, 40

THE camp entertainer has clearly decided that outrageous suits are his trademark. But the older he gets, the more desperate they appear.JERRY HALL, 47

After ditching Jagger, the model hooked up with Tim Attias, 10 years her junior, and then Benedict Allen, 43. She models for teen chain, H&M.BILL CLINTON, 57

Like a kid ready for a big date, he's on the South Beach diet to keep young. A Red Hot Chili Peppers' fan, he mixes with Bono, above.

WHAT THEY WATCH..READ..LISTEN TO..PLAY..BUY..WEAR..SEND..SHOP FOR..FILM: Finding Nemo

BOOK: Pullman

BAND: White Stripes

GAME: Hawks Skateboarding

WATCH: G-Shock

TRAINERS: Nike MOBILE: Texts CLOTHES: Gap