What Are the Top Ten Teen Problems in America?
Youth is a time of uncertainty and change. Physical, emotional and social changes that take place during this time make adolescence difficult. Teens in America face many problems including depression, sexual pressures, bullying, financial worries, the balance of media, technology and image, as well as drugs and alcohol. Conflicting messages at home, at school and within the media result in stress and confusion. Teenage problems in America are interwoven, with one generally accompanied by another.
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Image, Stress and Stereotypes
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Teenagers are fixated on image. Adolescence is a time when the opinions of others are a major concern. Without the means or ability to build the right image, rejection is imminent. Rejection can lead to stress and feelings of inadequacy. With these feelings come problems such as anorexia, bulimia, bullying and depression.
Teens in America face stress just like adults. Societal pressures and school, financial, family and relationship stresses are just as real to teenagers as they are to adults. Over-achievers face the stress of fitting in socially and may become overwhelmed by work-load and extracurricular activities.
American teens face many stereotypes. Consistently judged by their peers, parents, teachers and elders, teens are pigeon-holed and stereotyped in ways that cause stress and anxiety. Bullying is the result of unfair, negative stereotypes, leading to emotional trauma, violence and in more extreme cases, death.
Media, Bullying and Depression
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Although teenagers have no control over media influence, they are often blamed for how it influences them. Television, movies and advertising portray sex, materialism and image without consequence. These influences have a direct impact on teenagers, resulting in bullying and depression when teens cannot live up to the images that they see.
Bullying is a major problem among younger teens. Physical threats, verbal abuse and sexual harassment are the result of bullying, with 30 percent of American teens estimated to be involved in bullying. That number reflects those targeted as well as those contributing to bullying. Bullying leads to stress, fear and depression.
"Adolescent depression is increasing at an alarming rate," according to Mental Health America, with one in five American teens suffering from clinical depression.Moods that disrupt the ability to function on a day to day basis are a warning sign of clinical depression. Depression can lead to other problems like drugs, alcohol and promiscuity.
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Drugs and Alcohol
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American teenagers are prone to experimentation. However, lack of responsibility and feelings of invincibility that come with youth make drug and alcohol experimentation especially dangerous. The average American teen begins experimenting with marijuana at 14 and alcohol by age 12. Experimentation can lead to dependency, legal problems, health problems and death in extreme cases. Experimentation is often the result of peer pressure and irresponsible media messages.
Sex, Pregnancy and Poverty
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Every teen faces sexual pressures, with pressures differing for males and females. After a decade of decline, the Guttmacher Institute reports that teen pregnancy is on the rise. Teen pregnancy is associated with poverty. Mississippi has the third highest rate for teen pregnancy, and it has the highest poverty level in the U.S. New Mexico, which is third in poverty, has the second highest teen pregnancy rate in the U.S.
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References
- Mental Health America: Depression in Teens
- Diocese of Gary Diocesan Youth Council: Top Ten Challenges Facing High School-Aged Teens
- Family First Aid: What is School Bullying
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Teens-Alcohol and Other Drugs
- Change: Why Teen Pregnancy Is a Poverty Problem
Resources
- Photo Credit Two smiling teenagers image by Monika 3 Steps Ahead from Fotolia.com
