What is the biggest problems facing adolescents today?

Question

How do you think this problem is being dealt with? By fellow students? By parents and teachers? By the media? By society as a whole?

Answer 1

Lack of self-discipline, respect, boundaries, and life skills, I feel are the worst problems. Peer pressure can influence a kid, however, if they have firm values from an early age, and have a knowledge of consequences to actions, they can make better decisions in spite of fellow students' pressure.

Parents and teachers, both, neglect to give firm boundaries, rules, rewards and consequences. Too many parents want their kids to "like" them, yet, the kids are looking to the parents for guidance. Adolescents are like wild stallions and need to be harnessed and guided. It's hard work for both parents and teachers, however, they have chosen to have children or to work with children, and should take this guidance and instilling of values seriously.

The media distorts things and makes many teens think that sex, drugs and no restrictions are all appropriate. Parents need to monitor what kids see -- including movies and tv. The internet should also be monitored, whether it is actually blocking sites, or having a serious discussion with the teen to make them aware of such dangers as internet predators -- you can't totally shield a child from these encounters, but you can tell them what to watch for.

And society: we are all members of society, and there are many choices. Some parents are more aware of setting boundaries and giving good values; others don't seem to care. It's a big mix, and it's an individual family decision to give your child good values. Although American society does seem to focus on material things and money more than cultural and personal values. Schools need to teach more appreciation for music, art, and literature, instead of just letting kids get away with whatever they want. It seems that teachers nowadays don't seem to care much about teaching, but more about going home early, and long summer vacations.

In the end, it is the parent(s) who make the difference. It is very difficult to find that balance between freedom and boundaries, but it can be done. It takes special parents and teachers to recognize this.

Answer 2

Todays Political Correctness & the Media is the biggest threat of our adolescents today and to the future of our society.

Parents are afraid to dicipline their children, due to Political Correctness. No parent wants to be the next story on the 6 O'clock news.
Teachers are also afraid to dicipline children...some parents still believe in spanking, some don't....so which kids can get Paddled and which ones can't? If they paddel the student, they too have to worry about being blasted on CNN.

I don't think the problem is being dealt with. Those who try are labled "Right Wing Nuts".

Look at the number of students in todays schools who dress up like Gothics. These are smart kids who are very confused. They do not know themselves and are "trying to discover themselves", and their "understanding parents" allow this to go on. This should not be labled as a normal growing process, if you do not know who you are and feel the need to discover yourself, you are Lost!! Chances are, the majority of this group of kids were not spanked growing up, and this is a direct result today's society, and the biggest threat. I'll go so far as to say, I bet the majority of this group of kids either do not believe in God, or blame God for their confused lives.
Who's really to blame? The kids for their bad parenting? Parents for not dicipling? Media for putting dicipling parents on blast? Or Society for allowing this "political correctness" madness to continue? Somehow, we have got to reverse this. How bad is the next generation going to be when these adolecents start having kids. We're absolutely doomed as a society, but it's probably for the better. Eventually, there will have to be some sort of revolution, Good vs. Evil, and I just hope the political correctness is once and for all put to an end.

Answer 3

Adolescents today are facing a lot of problems that start at the home-front. Nobody really cares what they do, and they know that they can do whatever the heck they want to and get away with it. 20 years ago, parents knew and wanted to know where their kids were going, who they were going with, and when they would be home. Nowadays, parents are too busy or just plain don't care.
They have a lot of peer pressure too, but that's not really anything new. Hollywood is putting a lot of pressure on them too...girls want to be super skinny, and the guys...God only knows what goes on in guys heads.

I think there's a lot of things that could be done to change these problems, we just need someone to take a stand. It's kinda like John Meyer's song 'Waiting on the World to Change'...don't wait for it to change, get off you're lazy butt and change it!

Answer 4

They don't know it, but the biggest problem is the cost of living. They are facing a huge jump in the cost of living price, plus the added burden of an extra large group of retirees. Society praises the increase in home prices and stocks as great investments. Government can't balance it's yearly budget, (except Indiana) let alone pay off past debts.

Students also face a world that is changing so rapidly that it is difficult to plan ahead.

Good luck! We are rooting for you!

Answer 5

Lack of self respect, well respect in general.

I think a lot of the problems are that teens don't have respect for adults. They treat them really badly. A lot of the questions in the teen section of Y!A are...'My teenagers are going to do drugs, I cant stop them, what can I do?'...' My 13 year old daughter having sex I can't stop her..' I think some time adults forget that they are the parents and it is their job to bring their child up in a correct way. Parents just let their kids walk all over them. Which results in children growing up with no real form of authority. Which equals breaking the law.

Also no self respect. Girls in general don't have very high self esteem. They don't display their bodies in apropriate ways and give them up too easily. Also they poison their growing bodies with drugs alcohol and cigarettes.

I know there are other factors eg. peer pressure but i believe this is the biggest problem

Answer 6

To me the biggest problem is lack of communication and interaction. Most teenagers I know spend most their free time chatting. Whatever happened to playing outside or hanging out with friends?

They are not to blame. We all are. We live in a society where the people prone independance and individuality.

The problem is not yet dealt with! Parents are happy because their teenagers are at home locked in their room. Teachers are doing their best: they used to have to teach! Over the years, they had to become educators as well. The media encourage it, because that's what sells! They show us what WE want to see.

It will be interesting to see how the teenagers of this decade grow up. I wish them the best, but it will definitely have a huge impact on our society. Maybe they will learn from our mistakes and do things differently with their children...

Answer 7

The biggest problems with adolescents today is that they want to grow up too fast, and they don't understand that we were once there too.

Answer 8

fairness. life is not fair, but schools, parents, and society want kids to think that life IS fair. schools have gone so far as to ban valedcitorians and salutatorians because the other kids don't "feel good' that for whatever resaons (intelectually or acheivmentally) they were not chosen as the "best".
in the real word, if you don't work or do poor work, you are left behind. kids think that success is guaranteed to them just because they "show up". in some schools today, a kid CANNOT be failed if he attends class, whether or not he or she does the work.

parents also want to be a kid's budy. they give them material things like x-boxes, phone, tvs, just because they feel guilty that they were not around. all too often, they miss the point. kids need guidance, boudnaries, and real consequences for their actions, not stuff.
parents bury their heads in the sand and say stuff like "what did you do to my kid" when he gets in trouble in school instead of "what did my kid do?"
we try to make excuses instead of trying to make kids take responsibilty for their actions.

Answer 9

Having parents and elders to mentor them and teach them what is right. There's too many single parent families whose kids miss out on that important extra parent's guidance. You look at all the criminals in our prisons, I bet most of them come from broken families.

Answer 10

Most of us have been raised and are raising our children to be materialistic, weakminded and cattlelike. When you do that it builds greed. People should work so they can help others as well as their own family- not for materialistic things like ipods and playstations, boats and cars... we are losing our morals, ourselves and children in these things....Most people have good hearts and want to help others, but are blind by their own greed.... But I beleive that facing reality is what will make people change.

and reality is on its way........