Teenage years are overglamorized High school should not be the best years of your life

By Ciara Foley A&EEditor

When it comes to interacting with “older kids,” most children either respond in two ways: some with absolute adoration, looking up to teenagers as a cooler version of adults, or scary, avoiding interacting with teens as much as possible. Regardless, there is a merit that comes along with being a teenager that every other age group seems to despise—the teenage generation is upon the most blissful period of their lives, thriving in the most attractive, nonchalant version of oneself. Younger generations are fed a preview of teenage years through the media, reading and consuming films centered around stress-free lives of high schoolers that inspire unrealistic standards. Older generations associate modern day teenage lives with their own personal experiences, many familiar with the freedom and inexperience of their younger times. Society constantly feeds into delusional ideals of unforgettable adolescent experiences, leaving those entering the teenage chapter of their lives with anticipation and high hopes.

There is no question that teenage years are a time of rapid change; from the ages of thirteen to nineteen, an individual constantly develops physically, emotionally and socially, a journey that will eventually shape them into a wiser version of themselves. This prosperity, being able to finally fit into one’s personal self, is why many yearn for this point in their life. At the same time, many seem to overlook the process of growth development met with this era of life, where teenagers awkwardly navigate through the fast pace of these seven years. Such inexperience forces individuals into sensitive, uncomfortable scenarios that mostly produce stress, emotional outbursts and self insecurities. Do not get me wrong, such encounters are necessary in order to grow and flourish, but the rising pressures teenagers are met with has now turned into worries rather than adrenaline rushes that once used to be.

According to the Washington Post’s “The early 1980s were the peak of teen boozing,” teenage use of alcohol and drugs has completely fallen since its high, marking our parents as the last teenage generation to mainly abuse such substances. Commonalities of consistent drinking, partying and drug use thrived as parenting was far less strict, locations could not be tracked and nothing could be documented online, providing what are now adults today with independent freedom. Uncoincidentally, such adults in modern society have carried the standard of debauchery to the younger generations, one that classifies this stage of life with incessant disobedience and high expectations. It is presumed that adolescents will be exceeding their nightlife, doing a variety of activities that categorize into a wild teenage experience.

When we are met with the illogical academic expectations that force students to spend the majority of their time studying, volunteering, working and more, it is not a surprise that many of us would want to follow the traditional schedules of the work force and dedicate the weekends to full relaxation. Yet, society connects the ideal of staying home on “party” days to loneliness, with assumptions that if a teenager does not go out with friends then they have low social status. There are a varietyofreasonsastowhysomeonemaynotbeinterested in the nightlife lifestyle—not everyone appreciates such intense social environments and many rather spend the timewithasmallergroupoffriends,familyorevensolo.

So, how does this directly impact today’s teenagers? Even disregarding the pandemic and modern era, teenage years are known to be filled with awkward, judgemental phases that encourage insecurities and heightened anxiety. As stated before, it is a point in life where we are constantly evolving, beginning to understand ourselves far better while experiencing various memories. Just around the beginning of teenage journeys, younger teenagers enter an entirely new environment, expected to mature from a hand-held middle school experience to a selfsufficient young adult high school level. Such change forces fourteen year olds to quickly adapt to intense academic environments, expected to emotionally develop to a level of midterms, daily assignments, finals and extracurriculars in just a mere three months. Similarly, the pandemic had forced every single high school student across the country to return back to such standards in the 2021 school year after creating self-sufficient schedules and a lack of typical work ethic, once more expecting students to emotionally mature under incomprehensible circumstances. From personal experience, this usually leads to one outcome: students become drained far more quickly, enhancing a likelihood for less motivation towards top grades and maximum effort. Mental health drainage quickly follows, resulting in an overall lack of enthusiasm and more stress towards meeting collegiate standards, expecting students to continue to thrive as if we are under traditional academic conditions. Needless to say, not every single high school student has a negative experience in their modern day high school and teenage years. This time is excitingly chaotic, preparing us for a future in emotionally-driven careers and unique life stories. The entirety of our teenage experience, we are learning more about ourselves, understanding our strengths and weaknesses in a variety of aspects. The expectation that teeangers should have it all together—should be able to commit to full-time schooling, sports teams, extracurriculars, part-time jobs, etc. while having great amounts of energy—has never proved to be realistic in any way. Realistically, it makes far more sense for an individual to be thriving around the ages of their 20s or 30s with new found independence; nevertheless, every person is different and discovers more about themselves over different periods of time. The standard that teenagers should rave 24/7 yet keep up with educational performance influences a pressure that leaves many self-conscious about their personal lives, thus leading to mental health declines and overall poor teenage experience. Regardless of how one feels their teenage experience has been, there is no need to insist that this is the most enjoyable time of one’s life—every single person has the control for a future full of light, growth and diversion in every single stage of life, no matter what it be.

Meghan McNeil Social Media & Business Manager

Older generations tend to view phones as a product that has negatively affected society whereas younger generations view them as tools. Although being tools in a certain sense, the negative effects of these devices can be seen through the attachment we have to them. One recurring problem as a result of technology and of the newer generation as a whole is the lack of living life in the moment. Frequently people post pictures of them “living life”;however, living life should be spontaneous and not just for online popularity and likes. A significant part of liv- anxiety from an accidental screenshot and so much more causes teenagers additional stress because of theirphones.Throughouttheweek, I noticed there were times where I could have benefited from having my phone and times where it really benefittedmenottohaveaccesstoit.

Overall, this week opened my eyes to the reality of technology. Like most things in society, technology is addicting and causes major stress. I realized certain social media apps such as Tik Tok, Instagram and Snapchat are not as the time I am. I noticed that overall I had much more time during the day to finish homework and clean my room rather than just scroll aimlessly on social media. I would always complain about not having enough time during the day, but I realized most of it was being spent on my phone. Technology is similar to a black hole, taking in everything andcatchingallofourattention,another similarity being the way people are distracted by this large event rather than the simple things in life.

As each day in the week ing in the moment is not worrying about anything in the past or future because it means living in the present. Worldly perspective can change because of the decision to try and live life in the moment. Through this, you expose yourself to new experiences that normally you would not do because of fear of embarrassment and failure. By doing this relationships can be strengthened, mental health improves and overall stress decreases. To evaluate the benefits of trying to live life in the moment and how to do this in everyday life, I decided to give up my phone for a week. The negative effects of technology are widely known and felt by teeangers around the world–the stress of waiting for a text message,