The majority (81%) of American teens report feeling negative pressure with respect to achievement, appearance and their future according to a survey administered by Common Sense Media, Harvard Graduate School of Education and Indiana University.
The study was based on a national representative survey of over 1500 teens between the ages of 13 and 17 between October and November of 2023. The survey inquired about six distinct types of pressures that teens face- game plan, achievement, appearance, social life, friendship and activism. According to the study, more than half of teens feel pressure to have a set game plan for their life, to be exceptional in their achievements and to have a certain body type.
These negative pressures were not similar across all different groups of teens. For example, girls and nonbinary teens when compared to boys reported greater feelings of pressure in all six domains examined. The same finding held true for LGBTQ+ teens when compared to cisgender and non-LGBTQ+ teens.
The study sheds light on the growing mental health crisis in America, particularly among teens that continue to face enormous challenges centered around anxiety, stress and depression. Although pressures arise from many sources including parents, teachers, peers and individuals themselves; the survey also examined the role of social media in amplifying the different pressure domains examined.
Almost eight in ten teens reported social media at least sometimes increased the pressure to look their best and present themselves in a certain way, according to the survey. The apps most often references as contributing to this pressure included Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.
A testimonial from a 12th grade teen girl in the full research report reads, “In my experience, social media makes me feel a lot more pressure about achievement and game plans and friends. It’s, like, all of them, because I compare myself to other people’s achievements. And I can see on Instagram, for example, other people posting with their friends, and it might make me realize, like, I don’t really hang out with my friends as much as some other people do. And in those ways social media increases all my pressures because it’s what I can use to compare myself to others.”
Social media and its effect on the mental health of teens has become a critical concern for U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. In his U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health, he writes, “Social media may also perpetuate body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviors, social comparison, and low self-esteem, especially among adolescent girls.”
Social media, in particular, has become ubiquitous in American culture for teens. 90% of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 use social media, and teens are online on average nearly nine hours a day, according to The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Social media use could also be contributing to burnout, a problem often associated with adults. According to the national survey of over 1500 teens, more than one quarter of teens (27%) are struggling with burnout. Although a minority problem for teens, burnout should be concerning for all parents, teachers and counselors because it involves feelings of cynicism and emotional exhaustion that can amplify low morale.
Teens who engaged in self-care activities like sleep and exercise reported lower levels of burnout. On the flip side, approximately one in ten teens (9%) report never getting seven or more hours of sleep or at least one hour of physical activity (13%) in the last week.
“Parents of teens, rather than adding to the pressures that teens feel, have an opportunity to encourage daily self-care activities that help young people reduce burnout, including sleep, time outside, and a less structured schedule,” said Amanda Lenhart, head of research at Common Sense Media.
The pressures American teens are facing are real, but it remains up to everyone to address them. This is a societal responsibility that must involve cooperation from families, schools, communities and lawmakers. A first step could include bolstering mental health education in schools, enhancing peer support programs, setting limits on social media use, encouraging self-care through exercise and sleep as well as advocating for accessible mental health services.
The future and well-being of our children will depend on it.
