Challenges Facing Teenagers in the Current Society

  

Date Posted: 10/19/2019 2:44:59 AM

Posted By: Kchris  Membership Level: Silver  Total Points: 292

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Challenges Facing Teenagers in the Current Society

By: Christopher Yatich

Teenager, sometimes referred to as teen, is a person who falls between 13 to 19 years old. This is another name for adolescent. The way the word is used varies from one society to the other. Most societies traditionally would perform a ceremony to mark the transition from childhood to adulthood. Teenagers face lots of challenges on daily basis as this is the most vulnerable stage of their lives. During this stage, they are exposed to so many internal and external struggles of which they have to go through and overcome. With the advancement in technology, today’s teenagers face lots of challenges compared to the previous generations. On average, teens spend around eight hours per day on electronic media. Their social media habits has changed in the way they communicate, sleep and learn. They must cope with hormonal changes such as school pressure and parental forces. Sometimes most of them feel misunderstood.

The common problems that are faced by teenagers in the current society are actually related to the following:

Peer pressure has been there and it will always be there. One can be influenced either positively or negatively. Negative peer pressure is an influence put on a person to do what is not correct or something the person doesn’t want to do. For example, taking drugs, using abusive language, stealing or doing other risk actions. In schools, teenagers want to be popular between their friends and they feel good when accepted in other teenage groups. Most of the time, to be part of such groups, one must follow some routines which are unpleasant such as smoking, drinking alcohol among others. Social media has elevated this to a new level. For example sexting which is a major cause of concern because many of

them do not know the consequences this can have on their lives.

Depression is another factor that destroys the personality of a teenager causing despair or sadness. Depression among the teenagers is rising day by day hence it is a serious problem that affects teen’s life. It may reach an extent whereby some even end up committing suicide or getting mad. According to The National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 3.2 million adolescents in the United States had at least one major depressive episode in 2017. This means that about 13 percent of teenagers may experience depression before reaching adulthood. Depression is on the rise over the last decade especially among adolescent girls when over 6 percent of teens were reported being depressed. Most researchers blame technology on the rise of depression. For example, spending too much time on social media instead of engaging in sports and peer activities that may help reduce mental health problems.

Teenage pregnancy causes serious problems for the adolescent mothers affecting them either emotionally or physically. In most cases this leads to a crisis as there may arise misunderstanding between the teenagers and their parents, dropping out of school and also emotional stress. The children from teenage mothers face various obstacles in life e.g. depression and mental health problems, high rate of poverty and also lack of fatherly figure.

Drug abuse between the teenagers is another serious problem, as it causes change in behavior of any teenager. Alcohol is widely used by teenagers. Though reports shows that by 2017, alcohol drinking among the teenagers has reduced. Despite that, still over 30% of high school students reported drinking within the previous months. Bhang is another drug that is perceived by teens as less harmful now than in the past. But the reality is that it influences the way one behaves.

Obesity is also another problem faced by teenagers. For example, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 19% of 13 to 19 year-olds were obese in 2016, with Hispanic and black children more likely to be obese or overweight. Teens who are overweight or obese are more likely to be targeted by bullies, health diseases such as diabetes and heart diseases. They also struggle with their body image and unhealthy eating habits.

Teens experience on-screen violence at one point or another. For example watching violent video games that display disturbing scenes. According to Common Sense Media, the more violence parents’ watch, the more likely they are to think it's OK for their kids to watch. And teens at the back of their minds think that whatever the parents watch, then they can also do so.

Conclusion:

Depression is a disorder that can be treated. If for any case a teen has this problem, it is necessary for parents to seek help from professionals. The indicators of depression among the teens include change in patterns of sleep, a drop in school performance and being withdrawn.

Most teens don’t know the dangers of drugs. Parents should talk to them more about the dangers of drugs. Some of them even take drugs prescribed to their friends because they don’t have that knowledge. They should be told the risks that are involved in taking friends prescriptions.

For obese teens, the parents should consult the pediatrician about the change in body weight and mass of their teens in order to know the right measure to put in place to ensure the health of the teens. The recommendation of the pediatrician should be adhered to foster health living.

Peer pressure isn’t something new, but teens should be cushioned from falling victims to peer pressure. They should be taught skills that will enable them make informed and health choices and also be able to resist peer pressure. They should know what to do in case they make a mistake. For example they should not be afraid to speak it up so that they can be helped. The parents should show that they can listen to them without necessarily overreacting or condemning them. Listen to them carefully and find health ways to make corrections.

Even though it is difficult to control social media, teens should be taught how they can navigate social media in a better way. More importantly know what they do online. Talk to them on the ways to stay safe online. Sometimes you may limit teens screen time.

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