In the last couple years so much has gone wrong for Britney Spears. It's almost hard to remember there was a time when she was doing things right. It makes us wonder: In 10 years, what will have become of 2008's batch of teen queens? Are the lessons of Britney Spears a game changer for modern starlets, or are they simply the results of fame and a lost adolescence gone awry? What happens to young girls when they become cash cows for their family and associates?

From the start, tween divas are catering to a tough crowd because, let's face it, kids grow up. So Britney - at 26 years old with two children and two ex-husbands - was going to have a hard time staying relevant to the star-struck, Disney-channel watchin' 11-year-old girls of Any Town, USA.

Tween stars who make successful transitions to adult stardom tend to identify new ways of connecting with modern youth, or they shift their marketing to appeal to original fans in current life stages. Just consider that fans who were tweens when Britney first hit the scene are now 18-24. Most are past the hyper-obsessive state of pre-teen fandom. They can still appreciate a pretty face, a little Star Search/American Idol warbling, and the ability to bust a move. But even stars who make names for themselves on showmanship (Cher and Madonna being a couple of examples) still have to demonstrate some evolving talent. Even with her successful 2007 album "Blackout," Britney's laundry list of tabloid-chronicled shenanigans overshadow her music.

With the paparazzi ever present, what's a tween queen to do? Hopes are high that the reigning starlet of the hour, Miley Cyrus, will be different from Spears. After all, Cyrus is grounded and religious with strong parental ties. But it seems only fair to bring up that there once was a time when Spears represented many of these same charms. Both girls have had strong bonds with a parent (Spears penned a memoir, "Britney Spears' Heart to Heart," with her mom, and Cyrus shares her TV show Hannah Montana with her dad). Both girls enjoyed high-profile relationships with wholesome heartthrobs-next-door (Spears with Justin Timberlake, Cyrus with Nick Jonas). Both girls dipped into the movie industry (Spears had the drippy teen flick Crossroads, Cyrus hit box office gold with Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour). Heck, both girls even have cute lil' southern accents. They clearly have more than just fame in common.

Of course, no one's implying that Cyrus is destined for the same fate as Brit. In fact, you can almost feel Americans' fingers collectively crossing that this won't be the case. The trouble is it can be so difficult for these young women to keep their heads above water amid the media frenzy.

Still, plenty of former tween darlings have done it. Take Mandy Moore. Though Moore never had the same mania around her as Miley currently does, her apple-pie sweetness and catchy pop music led her to teenage fame. She seemed to recognize early on that you can't be a bubble gum princess forever and proceeded to make an early and gradual transition from tween diva to mature singer-songwriter (her 2007 album, Wild Hope, is so different from her 2001 self-titled debut that it might as well be by a different artist altogether). Although she has occasionally stumbled (see - or rather, don't see - the film License to Wed), she's made many good career moves and has avoided any truly YouTube-worthy moments.

Other young starlets dodge the exclusive "tween" label from the get go. Rihanna, for example, performs at MTV events, which target teen and pre-teen audiences. Record sales show she's definitely got a strong hold in the teen market. That being said, you could still hear many adults singing "ella ella eh eh eh" in the summer of 2007. As teenagers' musical preferences can be fickle, those stars who can embrace their tween fans without disenchanting adult listeners seem to enjoy fewer career hiccups. Although Britney always had a large fan base, her appeal to a variety of age demographics may have left something to be desired.

Labels and market appeal aside, one of the less talked about but arguably more deeply felt lessons of the Britney Spears' saga is how dangerous it can be for a young starlet to play up her sexuality too strongly. Even if it helps her career temporarily, it also can damage her psyche in lasting ways. Anyone who saw Britney Spears' first music video "Baby One More Time…" could see that she was coached to work her sexuality from the start. She was a child who made big bucks off of her exposed navel and 'come hither' stares. When that formula didn't work for her as an adult (and when too much partying and bad press got the best of her), she received a rude awakening. Those who witnessed the debacle that was her 2007 VMA performance saw the shock in her face.

Maybe that's what makes the success of brands like "Hannah Montana" so refreshing. On the show, Miley Cyrus is a pretty everyday girl (besides that "rock star" thing). Her character has crushes and innocent romantic interludes but nothing to call The Parents Television Council over. She dresses fashionably but age appropriate. Nothing about her overall message is intended to create controversial buzz. Ultimately, Cyrus has the powerhouse aura without the underlying hints of exploitation that always permeated the Britney machine.

In all, the Spears' drama reminds the industry and its followers of the downfalls of being a tween queen. Now as to whether or not her story will change the behavior of up-and-comers...Time will do the talkin.'

Story by Chelsea Fogleman
Starpulse contributing writer