Pressure Faced By Teenagers And Its Effects
There are many misconceptions made about teenagers, one being the significance of the pressures we face as we grow up. There is an incredible amount of pressure on today's youth, more than what society recognises. The adolescent years is where we are transitioning from a child to an adult and are experiencing physical and emotional changes, added responsibilities and changes in societal expectations. In addition to this, teens endure social pressures and academic pressures which can have damaging effects on the health and wellbeing of teenagers.
School can be very stressful with the pressure to succeed academically. Preparing for tests or assessments, doing countless exams and applying for universities can cause many teenagers to become stressed, which is not ideal while taking exams as it restricts performance to the best ability. Sometimes the pressure to do well is so extreme that students resort to drug abuse in order to focus. A survey at Cambridge University revealed that 1 in 10 students have taken drugs such as Ritalin, a drug meant for ADHD sufferers. Josie Ensor, a reporter for The Telegraph, wrote: 'Academics say the number of students using the drug has steadily risen over the last few years as they say the pressure to do well increased, with some students faking symptoms of ADHD in order to get prescriptions of Ritalin.'
A common reason for students to feel this pressure for academic success is parents. There is the pressure for children to reach their parents expectations and even when they have good intentions, the pressure they put on their children to constantly perform well in every aspect of their life can be damaging.
During the later teenage years, we are often made to consider what career we want to pursue in the future. I would like you to raise your hand if you who have heard parent say something along the lines of ‘when I was young we didn’t have a certain opportunity or item, you should be more grateful’. The issue with this is that previously, prejudice in society created limitations in opportunities for certain people and social groups. While in the 21st century we are privileged with many opportunities or career paths, that the pressure not make the wrong choice arises causing us to be very indecisive. According to data collected by the American Psychological Association stress survey, 83% of teenagers say the most common sources of stress is school and 69% saying getting into a good university or deciding what to do after high school.
Peer pressure is also common among teenagers as naturally, all people want to fit in, not wanting to face judgement from others. Negative peer pressure includes pressure to use alcohol and drugs, participate in sexual acts, or engage in risky behaviours. However, peers may participate in these activities to cope with current stress, where in reality it creates more. But even less extreme examples, like pressure to dress a certain way, can create drastic changes in a teen’s thoughts and behaviours, leading to low self-esteem or even depression. This issue has worsened by the gang mentality of joining in, mirroring the emotions and opinions of others to avoid being criticised.
The rapid growth in technology over the past couple of decades has allowed for social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat to have a powerful influence on people’s lives. Despite the advantage of connecting people worldwide, it exposes teens to unrealistic representations of other people’s lives that have most likely got a filter on it or been photoshopped. Research has shown that social media actually increases feelings of isolation and depression, especially among teens. Seeing “popularity” quantified in likes and shares can create feelings of jealousy, insecurity, and FOMO. With technology also comes content that may not be appropriate, such as cyberbullying. Moreover, when teens spend so much time online and so little time interacting in person, they risk not developing relationships that are vital to social development.
Having to endure a significant amount of pressure from a young age can take a toll on the health and wellbeing an individual if unaware how to effectively manage it. It can have a drastic affect on mental health, being a major cause for depression and anxiety in adolescence. In the same APA stress survey, 36% of students were found to be diagnosed with anxiety and depression due to stress, another 36% to have suffered from a lack of sleep and 28% to have their eating habits disrupted.
