Before going into the challenges of being a teenager in the 21st century let’s know who a teenager is.
A Teenager is a person who is not fully an Adult nor a Child.
A teenager is in transition from childhood to adulthood. At this time puberty set in, and the body begins to change.
Sexual Part of the body beings to develop. Teenagers are between the age of thirteen to nineteen.
At this point in life, there are many challenges of being a teenager in the 21st century. Things will rapidly change especially in this modern-day time.
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In many countries, one is assumed to be an adult at the age of Eighteenth.
You will be held accountable for all your actions. You can apply and be given a driver’s license. You can vote during elections, you can even serve jail time if you are caught committing a crime.
In this article, we highlighted some of the challenges faced or encountered by a teenager in this modern-day time.
Challenges of being a Teenager in the 21st Century
- Becoming Conscious of the changes in their bodies.
- Romantic Affairs and Sex Life.
- Peer Pressure
- Problems in their Education
- Drugs and Alcohol
- Time management Issue
Becoming Conscious of the changes in their bodies.
Teenagers become conscious of the changes in their body hormones. This is the stage they begin to undergo puberty.
For the girls, The development of Breasts, Having Menstrual Cycles, growing of pubic hairs. At this point, they will be sensitive to the way they interact with boys.
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For the Boys, They begin to grow pubic hairs, have a deeper voice, growth of facial hairs like bears, and so on.
They need to be advised and educated by their parents and guidance on the changes in their bodies and how to take proper care of themselves.
For example, Girls need to be advised by their mothers on how to take care of themselves when they are on period.
This is one of the challenges of being a teenager in the 21st century.
Romantic Affairs and Sex Life.
Most parents especially in Africa, don’t educate their children about sex and romantic affairs.
When your children are not given any sex education this may result in unwanted pregnancies and contractions of sexually transmitted diseases.
A teenager will have his or her first crush. As a parent make yourself available as a counselor to advise them about these things. Don’t be judgmental to avoid any surprises.
Parents should make their available and someone your kids can talk to because when they don’t get advised by you, they will get it somewhere else. which might be bad.
Peer Pressure.
Peer pressure influences the decision of a teenager, they don’t want to be the odd ones among their peers.
They are torn between following the advice of their parents or following what their peers are doing. Like following trends.
Peer Pressure is one of the causes of cultism in the country. They may be influenced by peers to do drugs which is bad.
Parents who are in a very good relationship with their children may not encounter losing their children to peer pressure.
Peer pressure is one of the Challenges of Being a Teenager in the 21st Century.
Parents should spend quality time with their children and never make them feel alone so that they won’t lose them to peer pressure.
Problems in their Education.
Teenagers come in contact with many distractions while in school, like social media, TV Series, and Shows.
Some Teenagers may even drop out of school due to low grades when they are losing focus.
Parents and teachers need to advise the teenager so that they don’t drop out of school and end up in the street.
Drugs and Alcohol
Most teenagers engage themselves with drugs and alcohol which is bad. abuse of drugs and taking alcohol can damage a teenager’s developing brain.
Parents should be able to talk and educate their children on the dangers of drug abuse and the know-how they are exposed to and seek medical help if the teenager is exposed to it.
Time management Issue
Another challenge of being a Teenager in the 21st century is the ability to manage time.
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Teenagers having a problem managing their time may end up in trouble. When you don’t know when to study when to engage in extracurricular activities like sports.
Parents should advise their children about time management and how they can manage their time effectively. That’s all on this.
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