What Challenges Do Teenagers Face Today?
Being a parent of teenagers is not an easy task. We can help them navigate this difficult age with confidence if we know their challenges.
Career Anxiety in Today’s Youngsters
Choosing the right university and major from thousands of universities, majors, and career options is the most challenging part for most of us. Today, the options are limitless. Choosing a career from the millions of choices available induces stress and anxiety in our children.
Here are some prevalent anxieties present in the mind of an average teenager when they think about their future careers, as observed by the training team at Hope Trust:
- 1. Uncertainty about what the future looks like:
According to research, 85 per cent of the jobs that will exist in 2030 have yet to be invented. The child who enters an engineering course this year may need to gain the skills the industry is looking for when they graduate after four years.
Alternatively, this also means that we must prepare our children for jobs that still need to be created and figure out where to start. This could be because of a need for more education on career development. Many schools don’t prepare our children for these careers and modern skills. This causes considerable stress for teenagers when choosing a possible career path for themselves.
- Fear of not finding a passion for their career:
“How can I choose a career when I don’t even know what I want for dinner?”
Only some children necessarily recognise their true passion. Many of them need clarification and have yet to learn what they want. This leads to choosing a career based on more random things, such as family expectations, possible financial success, or trends. The issue with this is that there’s always the lingering anxiety of leading an empty, unsatisfying life. Finding your passion is difficult, as many teens need to learn how to find the intersection where their strengths match their likes and goals.
- Uncertainty about whether their dream career is unrealistic:
With the rise of social media, uncommon jobs such as being a YouTuber or Instagram influencer have become viable sources of income. These careers are aspirational for many today, as they give you creative freedom and complete flexibility. Working in a 9-5 office job isn’t ideal for most people.
With the world at their fingertips, today’s youth are more likely to venture into unheard-of niches that are just right for them. But when children come home telling their parents they want to be a fashion designer, animator or stand-up comedian, and the responses may not be positive.
Because these fields are challenging to predict, parents may worry about their child’s financial security and place in society. This makes them think about safer options. Children can also feel discouraged and fear being disappointed if they push their parents to let them pursue their choices and don’t ‘make it’.
- Fear of choosing the wrong career path:
Students with no work experience often have unrealistic expectations of their job based on stereotypes from people or the media.
We live in a world where choosing a career based on passion is encouraged. But this can make them afraid that they will find out their passion is not based on reality. Many students need more time to sample all the options available and are worried about living unfulfilling lives.
- Fear of letting down family members:
Many students feel pressured by their parents and societies to end up in a well-paying career.
Especially if people want to pursue non-traditional careers that aren’t doctors or engineers, they are afraid of ending up unsuccessful, making their parents and other immediate family look incompetent in their society.
This fear, combined with endless options and no experience, leaves teenagers with many worries about their future.
Psycho-Social Issues
- Negative body image.
During the transition from childhood to adulthood, teens struggle to get comfortable in their own skins while their bodies morph into new shapes and sizes.
Teens are pressured to conform to unhealthy expectations regarding their bodies, behaviour, and appearance.
Eating disorders (including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, etc.) typically start just before and during adolescence. Eating disorders can affect a teen’s health, mood, relationships, and day-to-day functioning.
The persistent feeling that their bodies are “not right” can have many lasting adverse effects on their lives.
- Desire to ‘belong’.
Teenagers struggle to find a place in society, wanting to be recognised by their peers and accepted for what they are. This is one of the most critical tasks of their lives at this juncture, and they experience a lot of anxiety and insecurity as they work around this.
3. Time management.
Stress increases at school with the number of projects and tests to cope with, not to mention sports and other extracurricular activities.
A new and tantalising horizon opens up on the social front—dating, partying, and hanging out with friends. Meanwhile, they are constantly distracted by electronic media.
The teenager is suddenly expected to act like an adult. They are expected to manage their work independently, make and follow through on the right decisions, and manage their finances. Stress makes them more prone to anxiety and depression.
- Social and parental pressure.
Sometimes, parents live through their children and expect their kids to achieve everything they wanted but did not have. It is a lot of pressure to expect students to get high grades, excel in extracurricular activities, and be responsible for themselves and sometimes for their younger siblings. This is a lot of pressure.
Added to this is peer pressure. To be accepted among peers and to become “popular,” teens feel pressured to conform to their tastes, behaviours, and appearance.
Trying to conform to academic and social expectations affects teenagers’ physical and mental health.
- Mental and physical health issues.
Poor nutrition: They are drawn towards eating disorders, starving themselves or consuming unhealthy, fatty, high-calorie junk food.
Lack of sleep: To do and be everything, the teen sacrifices sleep. They require about nine hours of sleep, but teens get roughly seven hours on average. This means that every day, they are running at a deficit.
- Depression and anxiety.
Hormonal changes, added to the strain of scheduling, prioritising, achieving, and fulfilling expectations, put a teen under considerable emotional pressure. This shows up in mood swings, anger, depression, anxiety, and sometimes even a complete breakdown.
Mental and physical health are connected. If the student isn’t healthy physically, it will impact their psychological well-being and vice versa.
- Drugs and alcohol.
Peer pressure and curiosity make teenagers experiment.
Both alcohol and marijuana can damage a teenager’s developing brain. We must educate them about the dangers and stop any addiction immediately.
8. Exposure to unhealthy social media.
Social platforms can be helpful ways for teens to connect with the world, but when used irresponsibly, they are problematic. Violent video games promote aggression and violence. Accessing online exposes them to unhealthy images, porn, violence, and sexual content.
A psychologist can talk to them about any issues they may be facing.
- Bullying
Bullying can be direct or indirect, which includes gossip and rumour-spreading. Bullying in school or online can have adverse consequences.
10.Risky sexual activity.
A recent incident in a Bangalore school highlighted this issue – management found condoms in several school bags during a routine check.
Surveys consistently show that most parents don’t think their children are sexually active. It’s helpful to talk to children about sex, even if parents don’t think they’re indulging in sex.
Moreover, domestic conflicts may distract the student. Other common issues, especially in co-educational schools, include romantic affiliations and related rivalries.
If you are facing any parenting issues or need career counselling, call 90008 50001 or click www.hopetrustindia.com for an appointment with a professional.