Adolescence is found to be challenging for many, created by lots of social and environmental problems. Unfortunately, these have been increasingly driven by the media and the internet, something that was not an issue in the 20th Century. But why do teenagers struggle with their mental health?
Since COVID, the trend in teenagers struggling with their mental health has risen due to isolation and the effect of having to live virtually. It raises the question of why has mental health progressively gotten worse when the topic is becoming more discussed? Mental health concerns even before the pandemic were at an all-time high, but statistics show that COVID and the effects of this is a main reason why mental health is continually getting worse. The University of Bristol prove the harsh reality of isolation from friends and family at an important time for social growth has had a massive impact on our generation, causing extreme social anxiety that has now become the ‘norm’.
As we can see, the collision of school and social media has created a frenzy that teenagers are vulnerable to. Stress about exam results, especially for those whose learning was interrupted by covid restrictions, are currently rising, and increasing the pressure to do well. Lots of students found it difficult to get back into the swing of school again, which therefore increased absences and declining grades. With rising grade boundaries and heightened expectations, it has been made continually difficult to readjust. After not attending school for so long, the return to routine and structure pushed people out of their comfort zones, turning school into something it wasn’t before the pandemic. Exams that had to be sat after missing part of schools, due to lockdown, caused a substantial amount of stress; unfamiliar exam nerves and also conditions that have added to the increase of the anxiety problem. A result of this is worse exam results as well, for obvious reasons having a massive impact on teenagers lives and happiness, especially those who had to have their predicted grades instead of sitting the exams.
- University of Bristol stated that the “number of young people with anxiety has doubled from a moderate 13% prior to the pandemic, to an alarming 24% during the early stages of COVID-19
As well, the self-image of teenagers is being destroyed through the complicated and unachievable aspects of social media. Social media provides a form of communication and entertainment but has much more of a negative impact than was originally thought. Many unrealistic expectations are placed on teenagers through social media, ranging from exam results to appearance. But studies have found a strong link between social media use and an increased risk for depression and anxiety. Online bullying is also a massive contributor to the mental health issues raised by social media. Often, people don’t realise that it is someone behind the phone who is receiving hurtful and malicious texts and content. The sadness that comes with online bullying makes victims three times more likely to commit suicide.
Overall, social media, school stress and the result of the COVID 19 pandemic has attributed massively to the already detrimental mental health struggles that teenagers face every day.
You help yourself and your friends by talking to each other, a trusted adult or help from college. here are some useful links: