WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS!!
10 Social Issues and Problems That Trouble Today's Teens
Technology can amplify the struggles teens face
By
Amy Morin, LCSW
Updated on September 20, 2022
DepressioN
Spending too much time on electronic devices may be preventing young
people from in-person activities with their peers, such as sports, which can
help ward off depression.5 They also experience new conditions like "fear
of missing out" or FOMO, which further leads to feelings of loneliness and
isolation.
Depressive disorders are treatable, but it's important to seek professional
help. If your teen seems withdrawn, experiences a change in sleep
patterns, or starts to perform badly in school, schedule an appointment
with your teen's physician or contact a mental health professional. Do not
delay getting help for your teen if you notice these symptoms.
Bullying
About 22% of teens in the U.S. experienced bullying in 2019, according to
the National Center for Education Statistics.6 Research suggests that social
media has made bullying much more public and more
pervasive. Cyberbullying has replaced bullying as the most common type
of harassment that teens experience.7
To help guard against these kinds of teenage troubles, talk to your teen
about bullying regularly. Discuss what they can do when they witness
bullying and talk about options if they become a target themselves. Being
proactive is key to helping your child deal with a bully.
It's also important to talk to your child about when and how to get help
from an adult. Talking about how someone has humiliated them is never
an easy topic. But asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it's a show of
courage.
The Different Types of Bullying Parents Should Watch For
Physical Bullying
Physical bullying is the most obvious form of bullying. It occurs when kids
use physical actions to gain power and control over their targets. Physical
bullies tend to be bigger, stronger, and more aggressive than their peers.
Examples of physical bullying include kicking, hitting, punching, slapping,
shoving, and other physical attacks.1
Unlike other forms of bullying, physical bullying is the easiest to identify.
As a result, it is most likely what people think of when they think of
bullying. Additionally, it has historically received more attention from
schools than other more subtle forms of bullying.
Verbal Bullying
Perpetrators of verbal bullying use words, statements, and name-calling to
gain power and control over a target. Typically, verbal bullies will use
relentless insults to belittle, demean, and hurt another person. They
choose their targets based on the way they look, act, or behave. It’s also
common for verbal bullies to target kids with special needs.1
Verbal bullying is often very difficult to identify because attacks almost
always occur when adults aren’t around. As a result, it is often one
person’s word against another’s. Additionally, many adults feel that things
kids say don’t impact others significantly. As a result, they usually tell
the victim of bullying to “ignore it.” But verbal bullying should be taken
seriously.
Research has shown that verbal bullying and name-calling has serious
consequences and can leave deep emotional scars.
Why Use of the R-Word Needs to Stop
Relational Aggression
Relational aggression is a sneaky and insidious type of bullying that often
goes unnoticed by parents and teachers. Sometimes referred to as
emotional bullying or social bullying, relational aggression is a type of
social manipulation where tweens and teens try to hurt their peers or
sabotage their social standing.1
Relational bullies often ostracize others from a group, spread rumors,
manipulate situations, and break confidences. The goal of a relationally
aggressive bully is to increase their own social standing by controlling or
bullying another person.
In general, girls tend to use relational aggression more than boys,
especially between fifth and eighth grades. These girls are often
called mean girls or frenemies. A teen or tween on the receiving end of
relational aggression is likely to be teased, insulted, ignored, excluded
and intimidated.
Although relational aggression is common in middle school, it is not
limited to tweens. In fact, some bullying bosses and other workplace
bullies also engage in relational aggression.
Cyberbullying
When a tween or a teen uses the Internet, a smartphone, or other
technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person, it
is cyberbullying.2 If an adult is involved in the harassment, it is called
cyber-harassment or cyberstalking.
Examples of cyberbullying include posting hurtful images, making online
threats, and sending hurtful emails or texts. Because teens and tweens
are always plugged in, cyberbullying is a growing issue among young
people. It’s also becoming more widespread because bullies can harass
their targets with much less risk of being caught.
Cyberbullies often say things that they do not have the courage to say
face-to-face. Technology makes them feel anonymous, insulated, and
detached from the situation. To the targets of cyberbullying, it feels
invasive and never-ending. Bullies can get to them anytime and
anywhere, often in the safety of their own homes. As a result,
the consequences of cyberbullying are significant.
Sexual Bullying
Sexual bullying consists of repeated, harmful, and humiliating actions that
target a person sexually. Examples include sexual name-calling, crude
comments, vulgar gestures, uninvited touching, sexual propositioning,
and pornographic materials. A bully might make a crude comment about a
peer's appearance, attractiveness, sexual development, or sexual
activity.3
In extreme cases, sexual bullying opens the door to sexual assault. Girls
are often the targets of sexual bullying both by boys and by other girls.
Boys might touch them inappropriately, make crude comments about
their bodies, or proposition them. Girls might call other girls names like
“slut” or “tramp," make insulting comments about their appearance or
body, and engage in slut-shaming.
Sexting also can lead to sexual bullying. If a girl sends a photo of herself
to a boyfriend, he may share that photo widely if they break up.
She becomes the target of sexual bullying because people make fun of
her body, call her crude names, and make vulgar comments about her.
Some boys may even see this as an open invitation to proposition her or
sexually assault her.
Prejudicial Bullying
Prejudicial bullying is based on prejudices tweens and teens have toward
people of different races, religions, or sexual orientation. This type of
bullying can encompass all the other types of bullying. When prejudicial
bullying occurs, kids are targeting others who are different from them and
singling them out.
Oftentimes, this type of bullying is severe and can open the door to hate
crimes. Any time a child is bullied for his sexual orientation, race, or
religion, it should be reported.
Sexual Activity
In the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) survey, 38%
of high school students reported that they had ever had sex; 27.4% said
they were currently sexually active. That represents a decline over the
past decade (46% had ever had sex in 2009; 34% were currently sexually
active).8
The teen birth rate has declined over the past decade as well. In 2020, the
teen birth rate was 15.4 (births for every 1,000 females ages 15-19), a
decline of 8% from 2019 and 75% from the 1991 peak of 61.8. These teen
births accounted for less than 5% of total births. 9
The decline in pregnancy doesn't necessarily mean teens are using
contraceptives, however. Just over half of sexually active teens reported
using a condom in their last sexual encounter, according to YRBSS data,
while about 31% used hormonal birth control and 9% used both. 8
Of the 26 million new sexually transmitted infections in 2018, more than
half were among young people between the ages of 15 and 24. 10
Parents may not be aware that their children are sexually active. Talk to
your teen about sex and the importance of safe sex practices, even if you
don't think your child is engaging in sexual activity.
How to Talk to Your Kids About Sex
Drug Use
In 2021, about 3% of teens surveyed (in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades)
reported using marijuana daily. Marijuana use exceeds cigarette use in
teens now, and is at its .11 In fact, many teens believe marijuana is less
harmful now than in years past. This new perception may be due to the
changing laws surrounding marijuana.
Teen use of other substances is declining, according to the Monitoring the
Future Survey published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. While
this decline has been noted since the survey began in 1975, decreases in
2021 were "steep and atypical."11
Still, it's important to have regular conversations with your teen about the
dangers of drugs. And don't forget to mention the dangers of prescription
drugs, too. Many teens do not recognize the dangers of taking a friend's
prescription or popping a few pills that are not prescribed to them.
Teens often underestimate how easy it is to develop an addiction. And
they don't understand the risks associated with overdosing. Be sure you
are talking about these risks on a consistent basis.
Teen Drug Use Warning Signs
Alcohol Use
As of 2021, alcohol use and binge drinking continued to show a significant
decline among teenagers. Still, 26% of high school seniors surveyed still
report drinking alcohol within the past month. 11
Talk to teens about the risks of underage drinking. Educate them about
the dangers, including the fact that alcohol can take a serious toll on a
teenager's developing brain.12 Also, do not shy away from expressing your
disapproval of underage drinking. Saying you don't approve can make a
big difference in whether your teen decides to drink.
Signs Your Teenager Has Been Drinking Alcohol
Academic Problems
About 5% of high school students drop out of high school each year in the
United States, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. 16 A
high school dropout is likely to earn $200,000 less over his lifetime when
compared to a high school graduate, which can have a significant impact
on a young person's future.
But it's no longer just "troubled teens" who are dropping out of school.
Some teens feel so much pressure to get into a good college that they
burning themselves out before they graduate from high school. 17 Stay
involved in your teen's education. Provide support and guidance and be
ready to assist your teen if they encounter problems.
How to Help When Your Teen Falls Behind in School
Peer Pressure
While peer pressure has affected teens for generations, social media
brings it to a whole new level. Sexting, for example, is a major cause for
concern; many teens do not understand the lifelong consequences that
sharing explicit photos can have on their lives.
But sharing inappropriate photos is not the only thing kids are being
pressured into doing. Teens face pressure to have sex, use drugs or
alcohol, and even bully others.18 To keep your kids from falling victim to
peer pressure, give them skills to make healthy choices, and to resist peer
pressure.
Also, talk to teens about what to do if they make a mistake. Sometimes,
kids may be afraid to seek help when they make poor choices. It's
important that your teen feels safe coming to you when they have a
problem. Demonstrate that you can listen without judging or overreacting
and instead find healthy ways for them to make amends and move on.
5 Things Teens Are Peer Pressured Into Doing
Social Media
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can be great ways for teens to connect
with one another, but social media can be problematic for several
reasons. Social media can expose your teen to cyberbullying, slut-
shaming, and so much more.19 And, while there are some benefits to social
media, there are a lot of risks as well.
Social media can have a negative impact on friendships and is changing
the way teens date. It can even impact their mental health.20 And no
matter what precautions you take, teens are likely to be exposed to
unsavory people, unhealthy images, and sexual content online.
Help your teen learn how to navigate social media in a healthy way. Talk
about ways to stay safe online. And most importantly, know what your
teen is doing online. Educate yourself about the latest apps, websites, and
social media pages teens are using and take steps to keep your teen safe.
You may also want to take steps to limit your teen's screen time.
How Social Media Affects the Teen Brain
On-Screen Violence
Teenagers are going to witness some violent media at one time or
another. And it's not just TV, music, and movies that depict violence.
Many of today's violent video games portray gory scenes and
disturbing acts of aggression. Over the past couple of decades, studies
have linked these violent images to a lack of empathy and even
aggressive behavior.21
Other studies have shown the number one factor in determining how kids
relate to media is how their parents think and act. 22 That means the more
violence parents watch, the more likely they are to think it's OK for their
kids to view.23
Pay attention to your teen's media use. Don't allow teens to watch R-rated
movies or to play M-rated video games. It's not healthy for them to
consume that material in excess and unsupervised.
Also, talk to your teen about the dangers of being exposed to violent
images and monitor your teen's mental state. It's also important to talk
about sexual situations and racial stereotypes that your teen might see.
Teens need to learn how to identify what is good and what is bad about
the media. It helps them become a healthier consumer when they can
think objectively about what they are seeing online, in the movie theater,
or in a video game.
