Misconceptions About Teenager's

All adults think is teen's are busy with their phone and stuff and don't really pay much attention to them... but its not true..

We're possessed by smartphones and they're destroying this generation. Let me get this straight: teenagers are not actually addicted to their phones. Yes, we use them a lot, but so much depends on phones and technology nowadays. Talking to friends, studying, entertainment, keeping up with the world, etc. Doesn't mean we're addicted, if anything technology has been beneficial in many ways. I know, there are teenagers out there who have an actual internet addiction… but then adults do too. It's like any other addiction. Addictions existed before smartphones were made, so it's not even about phones themselves.

We won't do anything for the future: Our generation is changing the world. A lot of us do actually care about current world issues, from political, to social, to environmental. We care about our future and a lot of teenagers are really proactive about it and lead protests, start movements, and speak up about problems nobody else does. We want change and we are trying to make that happen, even at such a young age.

Teenagers are all the same: moody, selfish, rebellious, irresponsible, disrespectful. You simply cannot generalize such a huge, diverse group of people. While I have met teenagers who fit the above description, I have also met a lot who are the complete opposite, and are very responsible, mature, and selfless people. A lot of adolescents do struggle with mood swings, but it's because during these years our hormones are going haywire and it can affect our mood. We don't choose to be like that… I'm sure if we could stop our mood swings, we would.

Mental illness in teenagers is just typical teenage angst, and isn't real. “You're too young to have mental illness”. “You don't have any reason to be depressed/anxious/etc”. “It's just a phase”. If you're a teenager who suffers from mental illness, I can guarantee that most of you have heard one of the above phrases, or something similar. You've been dismissed because you're young. The reality is that anyone can have a mental illness, no matter your age. Mental illness in teenagers is a real, serious problem, and it isn't just “teenage angst” or something. It is estimated that 10-20% of adolescents suffer from some sort of mental illness[1], and most cases go untreated. That number is huge if you think about it… it means that you probably know someone who has a mental illness. That's way too many. Mental health in teenagers is not being taken seriously enough.

We all have hopes and dreams deep down. But it's hard when we're always held back and told we can't do anything. Being a teenager is really freaking hard.