Main Issues for Teenagers of Today?

Parent eSource contributor Eva-Maria has posted the following ideas about the issues that teenagers face today. Parents, please share your thoughts with us in the comment section. Teenagers today are probably better behaved than their parents were. I’ve come up with a theory. Drugs, alcohol, boy racers, tobacco and rock music have been around forever. In every age of humanity, youth have always had something they got involved in, that was seen as ‘bad’ by society. Whether it was listening to the Beatles with their ‘long hair’ and velvet jackets, protesting during the Springbok Tour for human rights, or initiating the sexual revolution, generations of teenagers have always had something that was seen as ‘bad’ for joining. In today’s world, where there is no ‘it’ thing that teenagers are getting involved in, the only thing to pick on are the very same things every generation of teenagers has always had – the drugs, the alcohol, and so on. So the theory goes like this: youth today are much better than they ever were. Sure, there are still minorities that do ‘bad stuff’, but as an age group, young people aren’t going against very many societal issues because the world has become so liberal – it’s OK to be gay, it’s OK to have your own views, it’s OK to not be racist. What an amazing world we live in! And because everyone is allowed to have their own point of view and opinion, there is nothing for young people to rebel against. Almost any view is OK to have, and because of the abundance of information out there, and young peoples’ access to all the information through libraries, other people and the internet, young people are equipped with more than enough information to be making more informed decisions. Socrates once said… “Our youth love luxury.rnThey have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.”rnAnd that was 26 centuries ago!rnNow take into account that the age-old myth states that ‘today’s teenagers’ are worse off than they were ‘back in the day’. Inter-generational differences can be traced back to ancient times, but who’s making it a conflict? Why should inter-generational conflicts be an issue in today’s world when humanity has come to respect one another, and understand each other’s differences to such a huge extent? AND, considering the adults of today have already had the same experiences that young people will have in their time?rnA study done in America a couple of years ago showed the top 5 issues for young people of the 21st century. They were:rnDrugsrnRelationshipsrnSelf-EsteemrnSexrnMoney Environment has changed for the world, issues have always stayed the same. Look at the 5 issues above, and try to tell me that you weren’t worried about these 5 things growing up. And they are so simple too! I think this only goes to show that we can always learn or at the very least try to understand one another, between races, cultures, and ages. Young people have much to learn from adults of the world, but at the same time, young people have grown up being immersed in the world presented today with the technology, and they too, have something to teach adults in return. So what are the issues for young people today?rnHave a look into your past – what were the biggest issues for you growing up? What would you have liked adults to tell you or teach you that would have given you an advantage growing up? Ask yourself these questions, and work backwards to help the young people around you – give babies, children, teenagers and youth the advantage of using your experience(s) and great knowledge of life to apply in their own lives and give them a head start. You are a fountain of wisdom – it would be selfish to keep this all to yourself, don’t you think? :-)