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| By: Sha - at June 2, 2013 |
The Most Common Problems Teenagers Face Today
 Teenagers face real problems on a daily basis during the most awkward growth
stages of their lives; between 13 and 19-years-old. During this time, teens are
exposed to some overwhelming external and internal struggles. Teens go through,
and are expected to cope with hormonal changes, puberty, social and parental
forces, work and school pressures, as well as encountering many conditions and
problems. Teens feel overwhelmed when faced with unprecedented stresses
concerning school and college, and career confusion situations. Those who have
absentee parents are exposed to more unfavorable states of life. The issues that
teenagers face today vary but these issues can be dealt with easily if parents
and other guardians can understand the symptoms of their problems. Parents need
to approach their children, who have been suffering from one or more teenage
problems, carefully and in a friendly manner to discuss the problem(s). Many
teens feel misunderstood. It is vital that their feelings and thoughts are
validated and that the validation comes from their parents.
The most common problems that teenagers face today include:
- Self-Esteem and Body Image
- Stress
- Bullying
- Depression
- Cyber Addiction
- Drinking and Smoking
- Teen Pregnancy
- Underage Sex
- Child Abuse
- Peer-Pressure and Competition
- Eating Disorders
 Surprisingly, all of these problems are connected to one another, like a
chain reaction. When the teens face self-esteem and body image problems, they
can become frustrated, resulting in eating disorders. The teens start feeling
stress when they are exposed to peer-pressure and competition at school, or
child abuse at home. Many teens take to drinking and smoking in order to relieve
the stress. Many may run away from home, play computer games, and start chatting
online with strangers. Computer games and online chatting can result in
addiction. Many teens feel further stress when they get bullied online. Others
may become easy targets of online predators and once treated badly, they turn to
more harmful practices. Those who cannot find love at home or support at schools
start to build relationships with friends in school or local areas, resulting in
unsafe or underage sex, and possible teen pregnancy. Many become addicted to
drugs and harm themselves when they cannot get results. Many teens resort to
crimes once they feel they cannot get any help or support.
However, the most common problems teenagers face today are described below:
Self-Esteem and Body Image
 Teenagers undergo and have to cope with numerous body changes. Some teenagers
feel too fat, too skinny, too tall, too short, etc. This feeling leads them to
spend time wishing they were not too skinny, too short, their hair was not too
curly or vice versa. The problem with this feeling is that it affects their
self-image. As a teenage boy or girl’s body changes, so does the self. When they
do not like something in themselves, they have self-esteem and body image
problems. They also perceive others, particularly schoolmates, to view them as
they view themselves. They can suffer more from these problems when they have
trouble adjusting.
Hormonal changes have huge effects on the general growth and mood of the
teens. Puberty changes tempt teenagers to compare themselves with people around
them and when they find they do not match their standards, they feel low. They
also compare themselves with those seen on TV, in movies, and in the magazines.
Most youths’ ability to develop positive self-esteem is affected by family life
and parental criticism. Teenagers who experience negative comments about their
appearances, the way they talk, etc stuff also develop poor self-esteem and body
image.
Bullying
Bullying is one of the worst teenage problems and affects millions of youths.
Bullying causes fear in the minds of kids, and makes them nervous going to
school each day. The adults do not always witness the bullying in their lives.
The teenage children may be subject to heavy bullying as they may not understand
how extreme it can get. Any form of bullying is relentless, causing the affected
teenagers to live in a state of constant fear. Two of the prime reasons teens
are bullied are their appearance and social status. Bullying has caused many
serious and life threatening problems for bullied teens. As they get bullied
often in school, their academics, and mental health suffer.
Bullying can be cruel when it becomes physical attacks on the victims. Some
bullies attack their targets physically while others repeatedly spew verbal
insults, affecting the psychology of the affected teens.
The latest edition of bullying is
cyberbullying.
It can get as worse as it gets in the real life experience of the teens.
Cyberbullies use cruel instant messages, text messages, emails online, and voice
messages in many cases. Bullying is a very offensive behavior and crime.
Bullying leads to more violent behavior in the bullies in their adult years.
They eventually get rejected by their peers, lose friendships and become
depressed as they age. Parents, teachers, and people in general should educate
their teenagers about bullying and tell them to report any act of bullying to
them. Media can also educate the teenage children about bullying when some
teenagers are bullies.
Depression
 Depression is one of the worst problems that some teenagers suffer from and it
can lead to more problems in the future. Depression may arise from poor
self-esteem and body image problems. If that is the reason of depression in a
teen, then parents should talk to the teen, listen to their child, comfort him
or her, and accept their child for who they are. It is crucial that teens feel
validated in their feelings and thoughts because what they are going through is
a real part of their lives. Parents and guardians should not judge or criticize
their feelings or thoughts. They should tell the teen how important it is to
have high self-esteem and be comfortable in their body.
Depression symptoms in teenagers may be exhibited in various ways. Changes in
sleep patterns, eating habits, declined interest in normal and healthy
activities, dropping grades in school and college, and preferred isolation are
all signs of depression. When teenagers exhibit one or all of these symptoms
parents should intervene immediately. If teenagers begin talking about their
depression, then they should be allowed to express their feelings, and parents
should validate their feelings by listening to them without interrupting the
conversation.
Drugs and Alcohol
Youths, particularly those who are in their early teens who drink, put
themselves at risks for many problems. For example, they face problems with the
law, at school, with their parents, and peers. In the USA, drug abuse is a major
problem affecting millions of teenagers, along with their parents and families.
It is an imperative that parents, schools, media, etc, educate the young
children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, and how drugs affect their
bodies. If they are taught properly, then they will be able to make an educated
choice.
Cyber Addiction
 The Internet offers undeniable benefits in developing a teen’s ability to grow
with modern technology, technical ideas, knowledge and other skills. However,
using the internet, particularly the social networking websites, unsafely puts
the teenagers at very high risk for many problems. When children spend more than
enough or agreeable time online they tend to be cyber addicts. As they spend
more time on social networking, gaming, and other websites, particularly adult
sites, they suffer from cyber addiction.
Cyber addiction can be just as harmful as addiction to drugs or drinking
alcohol. Teenagers who spend unhealthy amounts of time on the Internet or online
suffer from a condition recognized as Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD). Those
who have IAD conditions may experience distress, withdrawal symptoms including
obsessive thoughts, tremors, and other mental and physical problems. Cyber
addiction impairs the quality of their lives. Parents should talk to their
children and agree on a list of rules that clearly say when to use the internet,
which sites they should visit and what safety measures they should follow.
Teachers can also ensure safe browsing of the web at schools and colleges for
teenage students.
Final Thoughts
Problems that teenagers are faced with today are multifarious but interrelated
in many cases. One problem invites another, then to more problems. Parents,
teachers and other guardians should be well aware of the problems that today’s
teenagers are facing and be prepared to eliminate the problems to their best
abilities. The sad fact is, even in solid and stable family units, teenagers may
face with uncertainly, confusion and wrong directions involving their lives.
Those who have witnessed and experienced broken homes, unsafe sex, alcohol, drug
abuse, and bullying issues, show themselves differently in the community they
live in. Proper parenting is vital, especially in the very formative years of
the children, so that they can grow up with the manners and teachings taught by
their parents.
Sources:
//wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_ten_most_critical_problems_faced_by_teenagers_today
//www.ehow.co.uk/list_7419698_common-teenage-problems.php
//www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2085516/Internet-addiction-harmful-teenagers-brains-cocaine-cannabis.php
//www.howtolearn.com/2013/01/top-10-problems-of-troubled-teens
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