Teenagers Today

Past,present,future; as the world around us have gone through cycles of evolution,so have the attitudes and current culture of young people. Youths from a century ago,who experienced arguably the same changes emotionally, physically, mentally,etc, are drastically different from the teenagers today. One of the most marked changes is that the voice of teenagers are being heard more than ever now having been provided means and platforms with which to practice the freedom of speech. Those very same platforms of the media and the internet to name a few, are responsible for the extensive amount of information teenagers are continuously exposed to throughout their daily interactions. This frequent bombardment of information has not have little effect in the shaping of teenage culture,whether for better or for worse. Besides that, with everything else around them continuing to advance, the bar of success is constantly set at greater height for them. The ability to speak up is now an admirable trait unlike in the olden days. To have the guts to stand in front of a crowd and articulate a thought to the audience well is simply impressive. Teenagers are encouraged to express their thoughts and opinions and traditional family roles do not discourage that any longer. Parents do not press the mute button like before because they understand the importance of lending an ear due to the growing knowledge of communication dynamics with adolescents from child therapists and school counselors nowadays . The education system today also places a greater emphasis on students' performances in oral tests,which is also made compulsory for every student. It displays the changing perception on the importance of sharing and expressing viewpoints. The importance of possessing a good oral grade plays a big role in each 17 year old's certificate .Teenagers are at liberty to speak their mind without being afraid. Most young people have been given the rights to show their dissatisfaction and disagreements towards figures of authority. Additionally the internet has also been a helping hand to the youths in the field of expressing,something which teenagers last time did not have the privilege of having. Blogging,tweeting,and forums gives teens opportunities to share and discuss about their feelings and views on certain issues. They feel like someone pays attention to what they think when another comments or agrees with them. Discussions on the same subject by various individuals gives them a chance to find common ground and share interests. Teenagers today are much more exposed to information ,especially with the easy availability of the internet,compared to the past. Information is just a click away and there are no boundaries with the amount of data that can be conveniently obtained. Information that their premature minds are not ready for are sometimes revealed to them. They might take what they've just found from a wrong perspective or even use the knowledge in the wrong way. Also,the media has become a huge impact on teenagers,they being the targeted age group. Billboards and advertisements are at every corner, influencing their mindsets on issues . For instance,the media creates stereotypes which gives teens the perception of how they should look like or how they perceive and treat others. However, media has been effectively used to generate awareness amongst teenagers about issues like sex, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, drugs, alcohol and smoking,concerns teenagers back then were not always properly informed about. Teenagers today are also grappling more than ever with overwhelming pressure from expectations set by parents and social perceptions to succeed in life. The burden placed on the modern teenager can be staggering. Piles of homework, hectic schedules, extra curricular activities, sometimes give them limited time for fun,relaxing hobbies that develops them as an individual as a whole. While some teenagers thrive in such an environment, others are not prepared to adequately deal with these pressures without help and guidance of an experienced mentor. Excellence in academics alone is not

enough for them in this competitive era; sports,music,arts,etc are also part of the motley of achievements expected of teenagers nowadays. For a few,the inability to cope with their responsibilities, to keep up with the competition, or to meet the expectations make them feel handicapped and unworthy. The situation could lead to many other serious problems, especially when pushed to the limit, such as feelings of unexplained or unreasonable guilt, depression, and the worse of course suicidal thoughts or sometimes even suicidal attempts. For those pushed since young, some may feel that they have been deprived of a blissful childhood and when looking back,feel angry with their parents for what they did. As opposed to present views, young people were expected to put aside their careers and starting a family was considered the main priority by the majority. High standards of living were not as accessible or glamourized as they are in the present than in the past, back then most were content with simply getting by. In conclusion,teenagers today are different from teenagers yesterday. Society evolves so do the teens of that time. It is more stressful to be a teen now ,especially for those teens that do not have a strong support network. Teens today are bombarded by a very explicit sexual media ;TV, movies, music. What they watch and listen to today would not have been allowed to be on prime time or public radio as most of the messages sent out are not helpful in teaching them good morals and values. Lastly, they now have a voice and learned the art of expression.