Here's Everything Adults Get Wrong About Today's Teens, According To Actual Teens

    "Adults think we can’t experience love and that our relationships are fake. Your age does not dictate your ability to feel."

    Farrah Penn
    by Farrah Penn

    BuzzFeed Staff Writer

    We asked the teens of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what adults are constantly getting wrong about them. And — oh boy — here are some of the most popular replies:

    1. "Teens are always on their phones! They're so disconnected from people!"

    STX Entertainment

    "Adults think we only use our phone for social media and not for studying."

    —limag

    "Whenever I even touch my phone, adults always say, 'There she goes, always on her phone!' But I’m rarely on my phone. My parents are on their phone more than I am on mine."

    —AllisonIsTired

    "Older generations think we caused all the problems. They yell at us for being on our phones all the time, when it was their generation that created them and marketed them towards us."

    —kayoma18

    "I hate when my parents say I’m always on my phone. I’m on it for an hour a day max, not including when I listen to music (which is proven to help people focus, by the way). I spend at least an hour on homework, at least 30 minutes playing tennis, and then there’s school, which is especially stressful right now."

    —dogluver15

    "That we are addicted to our cellphones. When I’m with friends, we really don’t use our phones that much, and if we do, we use it for something fun!"

    —haleyb466cb6b7f

    "I hate that they always complain about us being on our phones. We literally have never known anything different! We were born and raised in a technologically advanced age, and all they do is complain how it is ruining humanity. Okay? But who ruined the Earth? And who elected our current president?"

    —a47f0715fa

    2. "Teens are too young to know what real love is."

    Netflix

    "Adults think we can’t experience love and that our relationships are fake. Your age does not dictate your ability to feel."

    —kungfucrandolph

    "That we can’t have a serious relationship. As teens, we get discredited a lot. Not all of us want to date. But regardless, please respect my relationship. I’m 19 and have been in a relationship with my boyfriend for three years, and my family still doesn’t like that we talk about marriage."

    —sillymunchkin2001

    "Adults think we can’t know who we love when we’re a teen. Yeah, sometimes it doesn’t work out — but what if it does? You gotta let us learn, you know."

    —thelifeofanaminoacid

    "I've heard my parents (my dad in particular) say that I'm too young to know who I love. I've heard that I'm only trying to fit in with the crowd, rather than 'lesbian' being my actual sexual identity. They think we're too young to know this, but we know what we want."

    —fieldscm26

    3. "Don't worry — it's just a phase."

    Netflix

    "We know who we are. Our sexuality, identity, and personality are not 'just a phase.' If we identify as something, then that’s who we are."

    —reese

    "LGBTQ-identifying kids are just 'trying to be cool.' I don't get that thought process!"

    —Grande Iced Americano

    "That we have too many labels, particularly for LGBTQ identities. This is an issue I see a lot with older generations thinking we invented all these genders or sexualities. No, these identities have always existed! We just finally gave them a name. Let someone identify as they please even if it sounds weird, Susan; it’s not hurting you."

    —AineSaysHi

    4. "All teens think about is sex."

    HBO

    "So many teenagers are not having sex AND DON’T WANT TO! A lot of us just aren’t looking for that yet. TV makes it seem like teens are driven by their urge for sex — but most of us just want nice people to hang out with."

    —figtree2001

    5. "Teenagers are soooo moody because of hormones!"

    Fox

    "SO MANY ADULTS I know expect me to behave like an adult but then talk down to me like I’m freaking 3 years old. They get mad at me when I snap or express any emotions. I get told it’s not very 'ladylike' for me to behave that way. Speaking of, can we get rid of that annoying ‘what a young woman needs to do to be a proper young lady’ crap from the 1950s???"

    —deletedUser

    "Adults think our mental problems aren't real and it's just us being teenagers.”

    —Sofia Vargai

    "If we have a negative emotion or if we get annoyed at anything totally rational, it is because of the hormones. ALL THE TIME."

    —riannalazarec

    6. "Man, social media has really ruined the younger generation! They're on it ALL the time."

    Lionsgate

    "They don’t think social media helps whatsoever. I’ve learned more on TikTok than I have in life, so."

    —tom

    "That we only communicate on Snapchat. I like FaceTiming and calling people and find it fun because I usually don’t have time to go see friends, but I can at least connect with them. Snapchat is convenient, but that’s not our only form of communication."

    —spiritedhouse10

    "Adults think that whenever we are on our phone, we are on social media. In reality, we can can be doing anything from writing an essay, reading a book, doing math homework, finishing lab work, or even trying to do work for an internship."

    —bunniewonie9

    "Not everything on social media is terrible! It can actually be used for good things, too, like promoting awareness for things like climate change and political issues. Also, not all of us are obsessed with social media."

    —kennybarbiejenson

    7. "Teens don't understand what 'problems' actually are!"

    Netflix

    "Adults think our lives are so easy and that we have no 'real' problems at all. Completely WRONG! Maybe we don't have the same problems as you, but that doesn't mean we don't have any or that they are any better than yours."

    —fluffy_toy9

    "Most adults assume that our lives are super easy and we don't have any problems. Like, we go to school from 8 to 3, then go home and do extracurriculars/homework. We do that five days a week. That's the same as a 9-to-5 job."

    —cute_little_sloth

    8. "Fan culture is so weird! Why are you so obsessed with a music group?"

    Paramount

    "I don’t think adults (specifically boomers, I’m sorry) understand just how much music helps us today. I struggle with anxiety, and the only thing that helps me to get through it is one specific band (don’t groan or judge me, but it's BTS). BTS's music is all about mental health, confidence, and boosting your self-esteem, but when my parents and extended family walk into my room, they just see my wall lined with seven Korean boys and their albums stacked on my desk. They call me 'obsessed.' I just wish they would understand how much this band's music means to me. Without it, I don’t know where I’d be today."

    —deletedUser

    9. "Teens really don't understand anything about the real world."

    CW

    "They always assume that all teens secretly do drugs or have sex. In reality, most teens are playing on a Nintendo Switch or working at a coffee shop as a job. They also assume that teens don't care about their future. I'm a 16-year-old sophomore who wants to become a novelist. Not all teens are immature, and we have a future planned for us!"

    —the_artsy_stitchpunk05

    "That we’re too young to understand the world. We’ve grown up subjected to racism, homophobia, Islamophobia, and everything in between. We’re watching our earth die and have idiots in office as elected officials."

    —micaelal464021ad7

    10. "Teens don't know what ANYTHING from the '90s is! It's so cute they're just now discovering it, hehe."

    Paramount

    "Adults think our generation doesn’t know anything about stuff from the '90s or '00s. It’s not like that stuff just disappeared! My grandparents had a VHS player and rotary phone up until 2012."

    —sophiazayac

    "They think we don’t know what a VHS is?! All of my childhood movies are on VHS tapes! I honestly wish we still used them."

    —ellenweepie

    "That we don’t know what a phone book is. Like, seriously, my teachers say that all the time. I’m Gen Z, and when I was little, there were no iPhones, so we had to look up things in the phone book!"

    —lmniccum01

    "I hate it when adults think that we're into vintage stuff because it's ~trendy~. We're allowed to like things older than us just because we like them! Supporting things we appreciate is for us, and we're not trying to impress anyone by doing it."

    —aabergstrasser16

    11. "God, every teenager these days has some 'mental illness' issue!"

    Hulu

    "They think that just because we are young, we are completely incapable of having mental health issues. I’ve been through some severely traumatic events in my life, and I now deal with crippling anxiety on a daily basis. Despite seeing me struggle with this for years and years, my parents and extended family still do not believe I have an anxiety disorder — they have literally said that teenagers are just being overdramatic to fit in and get attention. News flash: Anybody at any age can deal with any number of mental health issues, and being young doesn’t mean you can’t get depression or anxiety disorders."

    —deletedUser

    "My mom treated my mental illness as me being a 'drama queen' when I was in high school. It was hell. I should have been on medication. When you turn 18, get a good psychiatrist and take care of yourself. Until then, there are coping methods you can find online. Maybe your parents will let you go to therapy. I'm so sorry your suffering is being ignored."

    —binlylikenobodyswatching

    "Lots of adults think we’re faking mental illnesses for attention and claim we aren’t old enough or stressed enough to have them, but we are! School, friends, sports, family (and more) is a lot to deal with at this age."

    —anabeleschiller

    12. "What do teens have to be stressed about, anyway? They don't have bills to pay!"

    MTV

    "Adults think we don't have anything to be stressed about, when we really do. For instance: social media, school, extracurriculars, exams, and friends/fake friends."

    —irish_girlo21

    "They think we have nothing to worry about because we don’t pay bills, when in actuality, people have been getting on my case since I was 13 about college and other responsibilities."

    —sinclaire1022

    13. "Teens are sooo lazy."

    A24

    "Adults think that we have no morals or principles. They think that we have no plan for our lives and we are just lazy."

    —sophiam469aa34b9

    14. "Teens might as well speak another language, with all their abbreviations!"

    STX Entertainment

    "We don't use slang all the time. Typically, we only use abbreviations when we text, and even then we don't do it that often."

    —camerasapprentice

    15. "Teens don't really care about anything."

    Warner Bros.

    "We do care. We have a work ethic. If we’re apathetic, it’s because the world is a terrifying place right now and we’re trying to cope with that. We’re young and supposed to have our entire lives ahead of us, but thanks to the generations before us, our lives might be cut short. We might not have as full lives as the adults that are alive today."

    —sarahpryor1

    16. "They have no idea what good music is! It was wayyyy before their time."

    Summit

    "I think my biggest pet peeve is that adults assume we know nothing about the world prior to the early '90s. I’m a huge fan of old music and those eras (specifically the Beatles/Queen/Beach Boys/Del Vikings, etc.)."

    —deletedUser

    "Adults need to stop treating us like we know nothing about music before 2012. Yes, Karen, of course I know 'Fergalicious.' It makes them boys go loco."

    —davidattenbruh

    17. "Teens don't know anything about politics! How could they? They're too young to understand."

    Netflix

    "Adults want us to act a certain way and grow up, so we educate ourselves on things like politics, the environment, and gun control, but then they don't listen to us because we're 'too young to understand.'"

    —seramags

    "It's OK for us to have different opinions from adults, especially parents. Being a teenager is all about figuring out who you are and what you believe in and establishing your identity as a human. That means we’re going to make our own opinions about the world and aren’t going to be little robot versions of our parents anymore. And that if we’re making our own opinions about the world, it means that we’re actually thinking about the world and finding ourselves. We’re not wrong for having different beliefs or opinions than our parents."

    —AntisocialAchromatic

    "A ninth-grade class will typically have respectful debates on abortion laws or other politics, and adults seem super shocked to find we actually know about and care for the world we live in at a young age."

    —sydneyt789

    "We take things seriously because we know just how precious our time is. You all ruined the only planet we have, and we have no choice but to fight everyone until they understand that our planet is dying. That might not affect you because you might not be here for very long, but we have our whole lives ahead of us. We have to have extreme opinions to fix our broken system and the broken world!"

    —a47f0715fa

    "When adults say that we do our marches and protests, but we’re still not politically active enough. Y’all, we can’t vote! Most adults don't do more than vote or endorse political candidates. Many of us follow the election and do what we can to promote our values and beliefs and make our voices heard, even with the arbitrary voting age restriction."

    —sosobea

    "Adults think that teenagers don’t care about anything, but the truth is that Gen Z is the most politically active and socially conscious generation ever. From climate strikes to March for Our Lives to LGBTQ activism, Gen Z does it all. We see problems and we figure out ways to fix them. We’re going to change the world; the world just has to give us a chance."

    —legacylauren5

    "They think that we don't know anything about politics. If we try to have a discussion with them, they'll tell us that we're too young to understand. The vast majority of us have done our research and know the facts. Like, no, Karen, I know what I'm talking about."

    —wemoose

    "That we can’t have educated opinions because we’re still kids. It annoys me so much every time my input toward political, societal, or other issues gets shut down because I’m 'just a teenager' and, apparently, can’t have valid opinions. Just because we’re younger doesn’t mean our opinions matter less than adults'!"

    —Rose'n'Blue8123

    18. "Man, teens are sooo self-obsessed!"

    HBO

    "They think our generation is collectively much more narcissistic and less empathic than earlier generations. We are more conscious of other's experiences thanks to the internet — and we're more accepting. Now, I may have just had some bad experiences, but I think we are less narcissistic than the boomer generation."

    —visionaryshield20

    19. "The younger generation is always doing stupid things — just look at what they post on the internet!"

    Netflix

    "They base their entire view of Gen Z off of a few stupid teens from TikTok. Yes, there are a lot of idiotic teens, but there are also a ton of smart, eloquent, and motivated Gen Zers out there."

    —libbys4848413f5

    20. "Kids are sooo sensitive. Jeez, take a joke!"

    CW

    "They think we are super sensitive and can't take a joke! We just don't like racist jokes."

    —nadams01

    "We can take jokes — we just don't like racist, homophobic, or transphobic 'jokes.' Those are rude, and they hurt!"

    —camerasapprentice

    21. "It's so dangerous when teens take to strangers on the internet. Don't they know better?"

    Hulu

    "Internet friends aren’t the devil! Sure, there may be a creepy old guy here and there, but 95% of the time they are actually people! My internet friends are some of my closest friends!"

    —Grace13663

    22. "Teens can't have someone who's just a friend when it's the opposite sex. There HAS to be chemistry there!"

    Disney

    "Lots of adults think I have a crush on all of my friends who are boys. Like, no, I don’t. I can just have friends who are boys."

    —spideytomlover03

    23. "Kids these days are so mouthy! That backtalk is unacceptable!"

    Netflix

    "When they say we’re ‘arguing’ or ‘talking back’ to them, when in fact, all we’re doing is trying to prove our point and justify our actions. Conversations work like that. We cannot have adults screaming at us all the time and not get a chance to speak. It’s not fair."

    —thelifeofanaminoacid

    24. "Psh, they're tired? They're not the ones who worked all day!"

    Fox

    "They think that we’re ‘not really tired.’ We go to school super early, then we have clubs and extracurricular stuff afterwards. Some of us even have athletics, too. When we come home, we actually are drained, but parents keep saying, 'You shouldn’t be complaining; you have it easy. I wake up early every day to go to work to put food on this table. You don’t know what it really feels like to be tired.' EVERYONE FEELS TIRED SOMETIMES. IT'S NOT A FEELING EXCLUSIVE TO ADULTS."

    —queenkewe_05

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