My generation has experienced a lot, from the introduction of Snapchat and Instagram all the way to twerking. Teenagers nowadays are so technology savvy that they, in my opinion, become lost in this world of global superficiality, learning to live through their phones and computers instead of facing reality. Because of this explosion of technology in recent years teenagers, including myself, have become exposed to many different "problems" that adults most likely have not faced when they were teenagers themselves. The world we currently live in is very competitive, especially for teenagers. We try to show off and make ourselves look good in order to gain attention, sometimes even acting cocky and arrogant unknowingly. We as teenagers deal with so many problems that adults think are no big deal, and I just want to highlight some of those issues we face daily.
Teenagers always feel pressure, from a variety of different sources. However, that pressure from parents grows, especially as teenagers move to high school and graduate. As a senior in high school myself I know what it is like to be pressured. I experience pressure from my parents, and have grown accustomed to hearing the daily "You need to get a job" statement, or the "Why aren't you working on college apps?" one. Besides having the external pressure, I put extreme pressure on myself to do well. It's like a slippery slope; from my freshman year I told myself I need to get good grades all four years so I have some chance of getting into a decent college and having a bright future. Now as a senior, I worry about getting rejected from my top choice college, or committing to a college only to get rescinded because I got a few bad grades. This pressure doesn't only apply to upperclassmen, it applies to everyone. I even heard some sophomores at my school talking about how they need to start deciding what colleges to apply to, which is appalling. The fact that students are talking about college years in advance shows how teenagers are constantly stressed about needing to do well in order to please their parents and solidify their possibilities of having a good future.
Teens also deal with the sickness I call procrastination. I know for a fact that it hits everyone, as we all sit at home trying to do homework, but are actually thinking about all the other things we could be doing instead. I, for a fact, have a bad habit of watching a few episodes of a TV show to take a breather from homework, then promise myself to pick my homework back up after. Unfortunately, those few episodes turn into a seasonal marathon, and before I know it, 5 hours have passed and I'm too tired to complete my homework. So, I put it off until the next day, telling myself to come home right after school ends and start my homework early. Now we all know that somewhat reasonable goal never ends up being completed, and the 5 hours wasted on TV happens day after day after day. Procrastination hits everyone, and I believe it is the worst problem teenagers face today.
Another issue is the constant need to look good. I mentioned in a few posts that social media has caused teenagers, especially girls, to become insecure, as they see all these photos on Instagram or other apps of pretty girls and compare themselves to those pictures, thinking, "Why can't I look like that?" I have seen so many girls bring others down just to make themselves look better, and to be honest, I find it sickening. Everyone is beautiful in their own way; no one should be called an offensive name or brought down so someone else can feel better about themselves. I have seen girls stand in the bathroom admiring themselves in the mirror along with teen girls who put on way too much makeup and strut about at school or at the mall with their friends thinking they're so cool in their short shorts and crop tops. I'm completely okay with their decision to look like that, but I really feel like comparing yourself to others and wishing you could transform yourself into that person is not healthy. Hating yourself because you think you're not pretty, or feeling the need to wear makeup and uncomfortable clothing to fit in with everyone else is not something you should feel forced to do. As I said, everyone is perfect in their own way, and no one should change that.
Teenagers always feel pressure, from a variety of different sources. However, that pressure from parents grows, especially as teenagers move to high school and graduate. As a senior in high school myself I know what it is like to be pressured. I experience pressure from my parents, and have grown accustomed to hearing the daily "You need to get a job" statement, or the "Why aren't you working on college apps?" one. Besides having the external pressure, I put extreme pressure on myself to do well. It's like a slippery slope; from my freshman year I told myself I need to get good grades all four years so I have some chance of getting into a decent college and having a bright future. Now as a senior, I worry about getting rejected from my top choice college, or committing to a college only to get rescinded because I got a few bad grades. This pressure doesn't only apply to upperclassmen, it applies to everyone. I even heard some sophomores at my school talking about how they need to start deciding what colleges to apply to, which is appalling. The fact that students are talking about college years in advance shows how teenagers are constantly stressed about needing to do well in order to please their parents and solidify their possibilities of having a good future.
Teens also deal with the sickness I call procrastination. I know for a fact that it hits everyone, as we all sit at home trying to do homework, but are actually thinking about all the other things we could be doing instead. I, for a fact, have a bad habit of watching a few episodes of a TV show to take a breather from homework, then promise myself to pick my homework back up after. Unfortunately, those few episodes turn into a seasonal marathon, and before I know it, 5 hours have passed and I'm too tired to complete my homework. So, I put it off until the next day, telling myself to come home right after school ends and start my homework early. Now we all know that somewhat reasonable goal never ends up being completed, and the 5 hours wasted on TV happens day after day after day. Procrastination hits everyone, and I believe it is the worst problem teenagers face today.
Another issue is the constant need to look good. I mentioned in a few posts that social media has caused teenagers, especially girls, to become insecure, as they see all these photos on Instagram or other apps of pretty girls and compare themselves to those pictures, thinking, "Why can't I look like that?" I have seen so many girls bring others down just to make themselves look better, and to be honest, I find it sickening. Everyone is beautiful in their own way; no one should be called an offensive name or brought down so someone else can feel better about themselves. I have seen girls stand in the bathroom admiring themselves in the mirror along with teen girls who put on way too much makeup and strut about at school or at the mall with their friends thinking they're so cool in their short shorts and crop tops. I'm completely okay with their decision to look like that, but I really feel like comparing yourself to others and wishing you could transform yourself into that person is not healthy. Hating yourself because you think you're not pretty, or feeling the need to wear makeup and uncomfortable clothing to fit in with everyone else is not something you should feel forced to do. As I said, everyone is perfect in their own way, and no one should change that.
