3 ms·

I can't say for sure is causing the crisis in teenager, since I don't have one, and haven't been one since the Clinton administration. However I have a hypothes

I can't say for sure is causing the crisis in teenager, since I don't have one, and haven't been one since the Clinton administration. However I have a hypothesis. I have seen a decline in mental health among my peer group, myself included. One common thread is an existential dread. Climate change, the current state of political discourse, the pandemic, the declining middle class, the raising costs of medical care, out of control education costs, and so on. It just leaves you with a feeling that you are screwed and there is nothing to do about it. Teenagers are pretty aware of what is going on in the world, probably more now than ever. All this plus the normal teenage problems, and new problems like cyber bullying. This is just too much for someone who hasn't had time to build their coping skills.

908B64B197 5y ago
We also live in a much more competitive world than before. Just look at the number of spots at top universities (didn't scale with population growth) and the number of applications the average student sends.
mc32 5y ago
But how does this compare to living in a developing country with fewer prospects? Are they committing suicide at even greater rates, yes, no, why?
jm__87 5y ago
I agree with your theory and personally I feel that social media is a major contributor. When I was a teenager, the only place people were getting information about world politics and the economy was from the news, which I rarely watched or read, so I didn't worry about that stuff. The world has always had problems, but now we have social media feeding the news of all the world's ills to us in an easily digestible format 24/7, not even mentioning all of the other issues which come along with social media. Platforms like Twitter and Reddit have some pockets where great discussions are taking place, but I feel like 90%+ of it is just way too toxic and a waste of time to read or engage with.
specialist 5y ago
Agreed. > One common thread is an existential dread. Am Gen-X. I grok Millennials and other cohorts. FWIW: My nephew was born 2000. He's basically checked out. Because What's the point? Hard to disagree. I asked him: But what if you're wrong? I related that I had felt more or less the same. Punk, Raygun & MAD, No Future, etc. No one is more surprised than me that we're all still here. I'm sure there's some kind of Pascal's Wager, choosing to live for the future, despite everything you know.

908B64B197 5y ago

We also live in a much more competitive world than before. Just look at the number of spots at top universities (didn't scale with population growth) and the number of applications the average student sends.

mc32 5y ago

But how does this compare to living in a developing country with fewer prospects? Are they committing suicide at even greater rates, yes, no, why?

jm__87 5y ago

I agree with your theory and personally I feel that social media is a major contributor. When I was a teenager, the only place people were getting information about world politics and the economy was from the news, which I rarely watched or read, so I didn't worry about that stuff. The world has always had problems, but now we have social media feeding the news of all the world's ills to us in an easily digestible format 24/7, not even mentioning all of the other issues which come along with social media. Platforms like Twitter and Reddit have some pockets where great discussions are taking place, but I feel like 90%+ of it is just way too toxic and a waste of time to read or engage with.

specialist 5y ago

Agreed. > One common thread is an existential dread. Am Gen-X. I grok Millennials and other cohorts. FWIW: My nephew was born 2000. He's basically checked out. Because What's the point? Hard to disagree. I asked him: But what if you're wrong? I related that I had felt more or less the same. Punk, Raygun & MAD, No Future, etc. No one is more surprised than me that we're all still here. I'm sure there's some kind of Pascal's Wager, choosing to live for the future, despite everything you know.