- I believe that the biggest problem the youth faces today is its peers and whom they associate themselves with. Peer pressure is a huge problem in today’s society and it is important to associate yourself with the best possible peers that will give you a “goal-driven” mindset.
- Technology has become a major influence on today’s youth. They would rather spend time on electronic devices than socialise with their friends. With technology comes social media and it can be very dangerous as one photo can be the cause of many negative consequences. Social media has caused children to be obsessed with their accounts. If they don’t get enough ‘likes’ or have enough ‘followers’ they feel they are less important or not popular enough. This is not true. You are special and important just as you are and you don’t need social media to prove it.
- Today’s youth is more exposed to the real world than ever before and this comes with the consequences of an information and pressure overload. The youth simply cannot escape the pressure of social media, peer pressure and an overload of information seen and heard in the news. It is difficult for some teenagers to manage the responsibilities they have with social media. The social pressure for an adolescent is extremely high, but more so the stakes for achieving in academics, sport and culture. The stress of getting into tertiary institutions is unavoidable for the South African youth. The key to success is achieving your own goals, setting limits and focussing on your own strengths, while still keeping a balanced life.
- Pearson head boy, Jonah Ellis:
I think it is (difficult) choosing a field of study and career after school. This is a very daunting task. We have to ensure that our chosen careers will give us the necessary satisfaction and financial benefits to live comfortably.
Everyone has to go through this stage of choosing a field of study at some point in their lives. So what makes this stage any different for the youth of today? We have one more factor to consider and that is the rate of advances in technology. Technology is a wonderful thing but it could take up our future jobs in a flash. So, what do we study today to ensure we’ll still have a job in our chosen careers in the future? That’s the biggest problem faced by the youth of today.
- Now that we have made ourselves comfortable in the new millennium, we recognise serious issues that our youth needs to deal with. Ambitionless youth and no belief in the impact of their dreams are at the order of the day. We may blame technology for this, as everything is instant today.
The youth do not know how to set goals for themselves and work towards reaching these goals anymore, as everything is possible by the press of a button. Unfortunately, role models are also scarce nowadays, as too many heroes have feet of clay. This said, we as the youth need to start taking responsibility for ourselves and need to chase our dreams and thereby impact the world in the best way we can. Greatness comes from small beginnings.
- The youth of today are faced with many challenges, but also many opportunities. I don’t think that the youth of today understand the importance of the education that they are receiving. Youth are exposed to many distractions along the way. They prioritise these distractions and this becomes a major problem when there is the need for focus on their schooling.
There are so many people who strive to make a difference, be successful and be the best version of themselves, but their dreams are limited due to their circumstances.
The benefits of studying are of vital importance and studying proves to better serve the individual if they focus and work hard.
- The youth of today are surrounded by a myriad challenges. However, the biggest challenge that we, as the youth, face is a lack of identity. We have become so consumed with trying to fit in.
We fake perfection as we put up a facade in an attempt to hide who we truly are. We allow other beings, social media personalities, etc., and their way of living to define us. In return, we lose a huge aspect of what we stand for and who we are.
- Conformity has become a trend among the youth of today. They would rather sacrifice their morals to gain status in their social circle. They prefer being popular for being the person who smokes weed all day instead of the wet blanket who chooses to study. It saddens me to think that many young people seem to think that doing the right thing is wrong and the wrong thing is right.
