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 CHALLENGES FACING YOUTHS TODAY




Education and Employment

Research conducted by YMCA found that 44% of young people have concerns about their studies and exam pressures. Moreover, education has become an area of a young person’s life rife with the pressures of competition. Academic standards are higher than ever as more people each year are expected to enter further education. Alongside academic excellence, students must prove that they are well-rounded individuals that have taken an array of extracurricular activities: perhaps taken on a job; accepted volunteering responsibilities; or entered internships.

And while that might have been pressure enough in recent years, now of course young people are having to develop high standard university applications while having lived the last academic year online. Their transferable skills of empathy and patience, and their tech skills benefiting from this, but perhaps their interpersonal and communicative skills suffering because of this necessary teaching strategy.

Mental Health Difficulties

We are currently facing a mental health crisis. More young people than ever are experiencing mental health difficulties. This can affect all areas of their life: home, school, friendships and relationships. There remains a stigma surrounding mental health and it is important that young people understand where to go for support. And while it is important for young people to know how to signpost others to the support that could help them, it is also important for those around young people to know the signs themselves. A recent study published by the NHS showed that mental disorders are on the rise amongst people under 19. Click here to learn more about young people’s mental health post-lockdown.

Social Media

The rise of technology has had a significant impact on the lives of young people. Technology can be an amazing tool, however, there are also concerns about how it impacts self-perception and privacy. While social media can be praised as a way to connect with both family and friends during difficult times, it is not without its drawbacks.

And while it is a way to share creative and fun ideas, the social media world is both complex and confusing, and poses significant risks. For instance, young people first navigating social media might be exposed to inappropriate or upsetting content that they are unprepared to witness.


Furthermore, developing an understanding of creating and maintaining positive relationships online is a huge task that some young people may not be ready for. Relationships formed online need to be navigated with at least some caution while not yet aware of the potential risks that are involved with the internet. And of course we have yet to mention the risk of exposure to cyberbullying, privacy issues, and a waning awareness of reality.

Peer Pressure

Socialising with and having the respect of your peers is important to young people. ‘Peer pressure’ relates to the role that others can have in influencing how an individual acts. Many children may think that they are missing out or not fitting in if they don’t go along with the crowd, or the strongest voice in that crowd. This desire to seek approval may encourage them to reinforce positive habits. However, it may also encourage them to partake in risk taking behavior such as drinking alcohol, taking drugs, or being exposed to gang crime: especially online via social media as we have mentioned. The rise of sites like TikTok, Instagram and even snapchat have all been linked to gang related and violent activities.

Parents need to support young people and help them to understand peer pressure and how it can be a force for both good and bad, depending on the peers a child is surrounded with, and those they follow online.

Body Image Anxieties

Body image anxieties impact the lives of many young people during puberty. With the rise of social media apps such as Instagram and Snapchat, images of bodies are shared constantly. Some images are said to be illustrating the reality of bodies in a movement know as #BodyPositivity. But some only show the filtered and edited versions of bodies that social media audiences are accustomed to expect. This can send mixed and confusing messages to young people about how they should look and the relationship they should build with their body. Research by YMCA found that more than half of young people (52%) regularly worry about the way they look.

                                                                     By-Vedik Chaplot
                    

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