The teen years are often marked by heightened stress and increasing pressures. From personal relationships to future plans, teens must juggle expectations from family, teachers, friends, social media, and even themselves. These expectations build up and at times can become overwhelming. And young people are particularly vulnerable because many are still developing coping skills to handle these pressures, potentially leading to feelings of anxiety and burnout.
In this report, written in partnership with the Center for Digital Thriving at Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, we asked teens about the pressures they face, as well as what impacts those pressures, including the role of the people and the technology in their lives. How do these important aspects of teens’ lives help relieve pressure, and which areas make pressures worse? We also asked about their engagement in various self-care practices—and what gets in the way of those practices.
Most teens say they feel at least some negative pressure, and some even report feeling burned out. Social media plays a dual role in pressures—helping to reduce some and amplify others—but that’s only part of a broader story that includes the role of adults and peers in teens’ lives, as well as their social, financial, and personal circumstances. And although self-care activities are important in addressing burnout, they’re a weekly—not a daily—practice in most teens’ lives. That matters, because teens who engage in more self-care practices report less pressure and lower burnout.
We have an opportunity to remove barriers to self-care, and to encourage activities that may reduce pressure in teens, like a full night’s sleep, exercise, time outside, and less structured schedules. And we need to approach young people’s interactions with technology with curiosity rather than judgment, including understanding how technology can help young people reduce the pressures they’re feeling.
As long as we continue to face a youth mental health crisis, helping young people reduce the pressures in their lives remains a critical way to support their well-being.
