Adolescent Apathy: The New "Teenage Experience": An Article by Anshi Purohit
- Chromatic Scars Review
- Sep 1, 2024
- 4 min read
Young people worldwide are facing an unprecedented rise in instability and apathy. Apathetic students are disengaged in learning or pursuing academics, which illustrates a shift in what they believe is beneficial for their futures. Burnout is an alarming new buzzword, a synonym for the ‘quarter life crises’ among youth.
From climate change, political polarization, an increased cost of living accompanied by the disintegrating economic safety net, to the rise of harmful technologies, existential dread runs rampant. When news outlets cover dismal future prospects, how are students expected to remain engaged, let alone flourish? These global threats are often so incomprehensible that they cannot be addressed without dismantling flaws within our societal systems.
Today’s world is plagued with wars, climate change, and human rights violations. According to the UN’s 2022 Sustainable Development survey, “one quarter of the global population [is living] in conflict-affected countries at the end of 2020." It is important to acknowledge & address the intersectionality of one’s mental health and the state of their social environment. Empathic distress is so much more than a passive form of distancing.
Even in schools and among peers, teenagers have been experiencing a staggering rise in existential dread[1]. Digital framing and generalizing life experiences (such as striving for the characteristic ‘teenage experience’ -‘summer body’ or ‘glow-up’) have plagued young people with unrealistic standards of success.
Adolescents are not unmotivated or lazy; rather, they are burdened with emotional burnout and instability as they attempt to navigate early adulthood. Promoting self-efficacy, leadership through collaborative advocacy, and fostering real world connections via tangible experiences can ease younger generations out of harmful mental headspaces.
Mental Shift #1: Cultivating Self Confidence
“We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are,” French writer Anais Nin said. Experiences expand our ability to approach and immerse ourselves in new environments, contributing to our character. Experiences matter, yet young people are resisting change more than ever. Adolescents are anxious, and many depend on structured schedules so they can stay productive without falling into a ‘doom scrolling’ cycle on social media.
At the root of the problem is the self (or, rather, its collective suppression). Pursuing what you find fulfilling can be a challenge when hustle culture dominates student trajectories. Students don’t need much time to search for examples; college applications are daunting and compel young people to identify what trajectory their life should take when their brains haven’t fully matured.
Teens cannot develop a well-rounded sense of self or gauge their interests when a plethora of college application advice champions adding a ‘spike’ to applications. Students are encouraged to narrow their interests and broaden their involvement in select programs in order to appeal. How, then, can teenagers spark self confidence and see things from different perspectives?
Setting aside dedicated time for self care activities, advocating for mental health days, and exploring a variety of hobbies across different fields—outdoor based, team-led and introspective activities—combats adolescent apathy by broadening horizons. Young people should allow themselves room to grow before they confine themselves to one track and restrict their adaptability in future situations. Before breaking from structure and strict schedules, students might feel trapped and unable to view life from a diverse standpoint because they see world events from an internal assessment of their life experiences.
Not all experiences have to be measurable, but they can be memorable.
Mental Shift #2: Making a Difference
A second mental shift adolescents should consider is adopting the collaborative advocacy approach. According to the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report, 52%of people across generations believe teenagers influence how we create change [2]. Younger generations are furthering advocacy efforts by organizing protests and starting nonprofits for causes they are passionate about. Technology amplifies their voices and platforms to captivate global audiences. Starting nonprofits and volunteering programs is both admirable and inspirational. But does their founding have ulterior motives? High school students are encouraged to pursue volunteer opportunities as prerequisites for graduation or to provide an edge for college admissions. Affirming a reward system motivates students to start passion projects, but can lead to developing unhealthy environments where extrinsic motivations supersede goodwill.
Having a competitive edge to accompany the desire to effect change is a powerful combination, but when competition becomes a race to climb over others and suppress community projects to get national publicity, considering fundamental project values is critical.
Teens should read as much as they can, through various forms of media; whatever piques their interest is likely to get them engaged in development or learning about similar events they can attend. While traditional news outlets may have bleak outlooks or a constant stream of negative information about world politics, positive media outlets do exist. Some personal recommendations include Good Good Good News, Good News Network, and CBS News’ ‘the Uplift’.
Not to say that new sites and popular media platforms are not viable sources of information —everyone should subscribe to at least two reliable news outlets like the Atlantic or New York Times to keep up with current affairs. What can buoy individuals from a whirlpool of distressing news is framing.
Mental Shift #3 & Conclusion: Building Connections
Above all, we are human. Recent research trends offer hopeful news: young people are becoming more empathetic and trust in strong human connections [3]. Contrary to popular belief, empathic concern and perspective-building traits among youth are experiencing a rebound when compared to previous generations [3].
Technology contains knowledge and accessible platforms to expand connections, but the digital world is often isolating and might spread misinformation about unrealistic standards. Making mature decisions during adulthood requires managing stressors and navigating unpredictable “real life” hurdles.
Self-care boosts resilience. Reworking our approach to teenage mental health by starting with improving emotional intelligence could contribute to improved self esteem.. Society remains
turbulent and fast-changing; in any other case, there would be no global mental health crisis. Understanding that solutions exist and making resources accessible are powerful first steps toward rebuilding connections.
If anything, by increasing adolescent activism and involvement to cope with emotional burnout, our world could make substantial progress toward battling the prevalent concerns in our political climate.
New perspectives bring about optimism and a penchant for growth. Building community is a way for young people to cope with apathy until they learn to navigate mental shifts and cultivate trust in a system that is imperfect but adaptive.
Works Cited
2. 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report cited in BBC
3. https://spsp.org/news/character-and-context-blog/martingano-modern-youth-compassion-empathy -increase
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