Nowadays, teenagers are living in a rapidly changing environment, which poses numerous challenges to them, and at the same time, it provides thousands of possibilities. Informational technologies, globalization, gadgets, and all other things have significantly changed the lives of modern teenagers. Some people argue that modern teenagers waste their time by surfing the internet and communicating with their peers on social networks, while others claim that teenagers use technologies for education and are more intelligent than previous generations.
Pros of Being a Teenager Nowadays
One of the best parts of being a teenager now is technology, making life easier and more interesting. Teenagers have access to digital entertainment as well as to knowledge. Internet technologies allow teenagers to gain various skills and knowledge for free. All the information can be found on the internet within several seconds. Therefore, it significantly contributes to the education of teenagers. At the same time, teenagers can easily learn various skills, especially skills related to IT.
Therefore, many teenagers can earn money even without a higher education. Additionally, it became much easier for teenagers to communicate with others by using the internet. It contributes to better social adaptation and helps them to fight social phobias. Teenagers can easily find peers with similar interests and hobbies and join various communities where they will always be welcomed. As a result, it contributes to the development of their communicational skills, which are essential for adult life and career. Therefore, technologies provide numerous positive outcomes, helping teenagers to gain valuable knowledge, develop various skills, and entertain themselves.
Cons of Being a Teenager Nowadays
Of course, there are numerous negative aspects of being a teenager. One of the hardest things is psychological pressure associated with various factors. Firstly, it is quite difficult to be a teenager because you are not able to control yourself as well as an adult. Teenagers have more emotions, and when you get older, you become less emotional, significantly reducing stress. However, when you are a teenager, even a small bad event may cause numerous negative emotions and feelings, which is quite stressful. Secondly, there is a huge pressure because of studying at high school.
There are numerous responsibilities that teenagers must handle. Additionally, it may be quite difficult for some teenagers to communicate with peers. Hence, they can be bullied and experience huge stress. Additionally, there is a problem of cyberbullying, which has become quite widespread because of social networking websites and internet communication. Every year, there are dozens of suicides committed by teenagers because of the cyberbullying problem. This can also be explained by the fact that it is quite difficult for teenagers to control their emotions and manage stress. Many of them consider suicide as the only option available. Finally, being a teenager is highly stressful because your parents limit your independence.
Usually, teenagers can’t earn money by themselves, therefore they are sponsored by their parents. Hence, parents think that they can put certain limitations on their children, even if their children are teenagers or young adults. Teenagers are highly vulnerable to stress and can experience numerous negative emotions during this period. Therefore, the hardest thing about being a teenager is constant stress because of poor resistance to stress and due to various stressful events that happen in a teenager’s life.
What Advice I Would Give to a Younger Sibling?
I could give a younger sibling or friend a lot of advice. First, I would advise not to waste time only for entertainment. It is necessary to think about the future and not live like it will never come. Teenagers who only entertain themselves have a lack of knowledge and are likely to face numerous problems in the future. When a person is a teenager, he or she has a lot of free time, which can be invested in something useful.
For instance, every teenager can start learning another language or master a certain skill like painting, singing, or programming. All these skills will be highly helpful in the future, and they can become a main source of income in the future. Additionally, I’d like to advise bullied teenagers to understand that they won’t be bullied for the rest of their lives and that everything will change when they grow up. Unfortunately, many cases of bullying are not reported because victims and their peers are afraid of bullies and think that reporting bullying will create even more problems.
Therefore, teenagers who become victims of bullying should remember that suicide or self-harm is not an option and that they can always ask adults for help. Finally, I would advise communicating with peers as much as possible, especially in real life. It is highly important to understand the emotions of others, body language, and facial expressions, especially for teenagers wanting to become businessmen in the future. Understanding what other person thinks, feels, and wants is a key to successful communication and to establishing trustful relations. This simple advice would make a teenager’s life easier and less stressful.
