Adolescents Feel Burnout and the Effort Culture on Social Media Doesn't Help.
The obsession with constant improvement is causing issues with the well-being of some teenagers.
Lydia Bach, a 15-year-old teenager living in New York, has raised her voice to raise awareness among adults about the burnout young people face. For her, the stress factors are diverse and include armed violence, global conflicts, and the urgent concern about the future due to climate change. At the same time, teenagers feel the pressure to constantly improve due to a culture of productivity that demands results.
The anxiety about getting good grades adds to the high expectations from parents, teachers, coaches, and self-criticism. They also have to deal with the influence of social media, which can amplify the pressure they feel. A new report on the culture of effort, produced by various institutions, reveals that more than a quarter of surveyed teenagers experience burnout.
Bach, who manages a social media account for the podcast This Teenage Life, has mixed feelings about the impact of social media. While she has found online communities that support her interests, she is also aware that posts showcasing others' achievements can lead to negative comparisons. According to the study, posts about personal successes, such as awards received or college acceptances, heighten the sense of pressure among young people.
The research identifies six fundamental types of pressures affecting teenagers, including the desire to have a clear future, to accumulate exceptional achievements, and to maintain an active social life. Lenhart, the research lead at the institution that conducted the report, confirms that young people recognize these pressures as one of the primary causes of their burnout.
According to the participants, social media intensify body image-related disorders, directly affecting their emotional well-being. A small portion of teenagers also mentioned that social media can sometimes lessen this pressure.
Dr. Tori Cordiano, a clinical psychologist who works with teenagers, observes that the term "burnout" has become popular in the past five to seven years. Many young people confuse it with stress, though others use it to describe a chronic situation that makes it hard for them to think about the future. The influence of social media is complex and can both exacerbate emotional burdens and offer valuable opportunities to connect with friends.
Cordiano emphasizes that the relentless focus on self-improvement prevalent on social media reinforces the notion that feeling good depends on "perfecting every aspect of oneself." This adds considerable pressure on teenagers. Those who do not face these pressures tend to sleep better, spend more time outdoors, and enjoy more leisure time.
Parents should be attentive to signs of burnout in their children and work with them to find healthy strategies to alleviate their burden. They are advised to set reasonable expectations about the teenager's time management and help them identify the types of social media use that make them feel worse.
Bach concludes that reading books about different life experiences is helpful for dealing with burnout, as it offers diverse perspectives and alleviates the feeling of temporary exhaustion. However, she shares her concern about the constant pressure she feels growing up in a culture that prioritizes relentless work.
