I don't have any kids, which could make me more objective or less relevant.  Anyway, my view from living in England is...

The recommendation I make to friend's teenage children is that IT is a good place to be, but if you want a career doing IT then look more at the hardware side than software.  Better still if you plan on going up the management path, look on IT as a stage to get skills and experience before moving on.

Although there will always be highly-paid niche markets for various software skills in developed counties, I think the trend to move software development and administration to lower-cost economies will increase in the years ahead.  This means that trying to make a career in software in developed countries will be harder and less lucrative than it used to be.  On the other hand, fixing boxes has to be done where the box physically sits, and the developed world will continue to have boxes.

Maybe the reason less women are entering IT is they feel there are more rewarding choices elsewhere.

Finally, I recommend to any teenager that the best way to make serious money is to be an entrepreneur.  If you develop a mindset that can look at a situation and work out how to make a turn, you are likely to end up either seriously wealthy or bankrupt.  If you do well, then the wealth you generate moves the economy forward and keeps the likes of me in a job.