Today’s teens have it harder, says new study

Pew Research Center study

Pew Research Center study, Harder today than in 2004, Generation anxiety, Damaging, Less in-person connection, A way to facilitate meeting, Brain chemistry, Teenage years, A dangerous age?, Nurture and celebrate, Not everyone agrees, Agreement between the generations

A study published by the Pew Research Center in 2024 has highlighted the lifestyle differences of teenagers today compared to in the past.

Pew Research Center study, Harder today than in 2004, Generation anxiety, Damaging, Less in-person connection, A way to facilitate meeting, Brain chemistry, Teenage years, A dangerous age?, Nurture and celebrate, Not everyone agrees, Agreement between the generations

The study found that both teens and adults agree on something about being a teenager today: it's much harder than in the past.

Harder today than in 2004

Pew Research Center study, Harder today than in 2004, Generation anxiety, Damaging, Less in-person connection, A way to facilitate meeting, Brain chemistry, Teenage years, A dangerous age?, Nurture and celebrate, Not everyone agrees, Agreement between the generations

For parents who took part in the study, 69% who have teens aged 13 to 17 responded that they feel growing up is harder today than it was in 2004.

Pew Research Center study, Harder today than in 2004, Generation anxiety, Damaging, Less in-person connection, A way to facilitate meeting, Brain chemistry, Teenage years, A dangerous age?, Nurture and celebrate, Not everyone agrees, Agreement between the generations

Of the participants who responded to the study aged between 13 and 17 years old, 44% also agreed with this sentiment, that life is harder today.

Why?

Pew Research Center study, Harder today than in 2004, Generation anxiety, Damaging, Less in-person connection, A way to facilitate meeting, Brain chemistry, Teenage years, A dangerous age?, Nurture and celebrate, Not everyone agrees, Agreement between the generations

What both groups don’t completely agree on is why it’s more challenging to navigate adolescence now compared to 20 years ago.

Pew Research Center study, Harder today than in 2004, Generation anxiety, Damaging, Less in-person connection, A way to facilitate meeting, Brain chemistry, Teenage years, A dangerous age?, Nurture and celebrate, Not everyone agrees, Agreement between the generations

Parents blame social media, which is frequently cited as having led to an epidemic of isolation and loneliness among younger people.

Pew Research Center study, Harder today than in 2004, Generation anxiety, Damaging, Less in-person connection, A way to facilitate meeting, Brain chemistry, Teenage years, A dangerous age?, Nurture and celebrate, Not everyone agrees, Agreement between the generations

But teenagers themselves disagree. They say it's harder nowadays than before due to "more pressures and expectations" being placed on them.

Generation anxiety

Pew Research Center study, Harder today than in 2004, Generation anxiety, Damaging, Less in-person connection, A way to facilitate meeting, Brain chemistry, Teenage years, A dangerous age?, Nurture and celebrate, Not everyone agrees, Agreement between the generations

His book focuses on people born after 1995. Haidt says smart phones and social media have damaged teens’ mental health.

Damaging

Pew Research Center study, Harder today than in 2004, Generation anxiety, Damaging, Less in-person connection, A way to facilitate meeting, Brain chemistry, Teenage years, A dangerous age?, Nurture and celebrate, Not everyone agrees, Agreement between the generations

"The biggest effects of social media happened during puberty, especially early puberty," Rausch says. "Ages nine to 15 is where the most significant harm seems to be the clearest."

Less in-person connection

Pew Research Center study, Harder today than in 2004, Generation anxiety, Damaging, Less in-person connection, A way to facilitate meeting, Brain chemistry, Teenage years, A dangerous age?, Nurture and celebrate, Not everyone agrees, Agreement between the generations

A big reason for why social media is so harmful is that it leads to less time spent interacting with others in-person.

A way to facilitate meeting

Pew Research Center study, Harder today than in 2004, Generation anxiety, Damaging, Less in-person connection, A way to facilitate meeting, Brain chemistry, Teenage years, A dangerous age?, Nurture and celebrate, Not everyone agrees, Agreement between the generations

In contrast, today "the online world is kind of the opposite. We connect in order to stay there. And our argument is that that’s not sufficient."

Brain chemistry

Pew Research Center study, Harder today than in 2004, Generation anxiety, Damaging, Less in-person connection, A way to facilitate meeting, Brain chemistry, Teenage years, A dangerous age?, Nurture and celebrate, Not everyone agrees, Agreement between the generations

"Kids going through puberty online are likely to experience far more social comparison, self-consciousness, public shaming, and chronic anxiety than adolescents in previous generations," Haidt told The Atlantic in an interview.

Teenage years

Pew Research Center study, Harder today than in 2004, Generation anxiety, Damaging, Less in-person connection, A way to facilitate meeting, Brain chemistry, Teenage years, A dangerous age?, Nurture and celebrate, Not everyone agrees, Agreement between the generations

In spite of modern concerns, being a teenager has never been easy. In fact, for many it's remembered as one of the most difficult decades of life.

A dangerous age?

Pew Research Center study, Harder today than in 2004, Generation anxiety, Damaging, Less in-person connection, A way to facilitate meeting, Brain chemistry, Teenage years, A dangerous age?, Nurture and celebrate, Not everyone agrees, Agreement between the generations

In her book 'Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain,' University College London neuroscientist Sarah Jayne Blakemore says that 14–or "14.38 years," to be exact–is the most dangerous age.

Nurture and celebrate

Pew Research Center study, Harder today than in 2004, Generation anxiety, Damaging, Less in-person connection, A way to facilitate meeting, Brain chemistry, Teenage years, A dangerous age?, Nurture and celebrate, Not everyone agrees, Agreement between the generations

However, she also makes the point that "we shouldn’t demonize this period of life. We should understand it, nurture it and celebrate it."

Not everyone agrees

Pew Research Center study, Harder today than in 2004, Generation anxiety, Damaging, Less in-person connection, A way to facilitate meeting, Brain chemistry, Teenage years, A dangerous age?, Nurture and celebrate, Not everyone agrees, Agreement between the generations

Of the 18% of parents who say it’s easier being a teen today, they claim there are fewer pressures and expectations on teenagers than in the past.

Agreement between the generations

Pew Research Center study, Harder today than in 2004, Generation anxiety, Damaging, Less in-person connection, A way to facilitate meeting, Brain chemistry, Teenage years, A dangerous age?, Nurture and celebrate, Not everyone agrees, Agreement between the generations

Parents and teens are mostly in agreement on what makes growing up today harder than in the past. Similar shares between teens and adults cite the country or world being worse today (15% each) and violence and drugs (8% each) as reasons life today for teens is harder.

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