Most important issues facing youth today

What is the most important issues facing youth today? The capitalist society has given us so much besides better quality of life. It has given us facilities and luxury but it has taken away the time needed to enjoy that leisure. People are now more aware of their rights and possibly more conscious of their emotions but still couples are finding it increasingly hard to stay together. Kids it seems have their own load of problems to take care of since a very small age.

Surprisingly, many of these issues are simply ignored in the name of technological advancement, intelligence, necessity, frustration, and even maturity. People are leaving their innate zones—the zones for which they were created. Mothers are leaving their homes with babies as young as a few days old, and fathers are conceived to be a natural bank provided by God and nothing else. The entire relationship has come down to give and take, which is correct as 2 + 2 = 4. (not 2.5 and not 1.99 but 4).

Compassion and humanity are gradually leaving our daily lives. We need to be aware of problems that our youth is facing and not just write about them rather we need to raise awareness to solve these issues. Here we discuss some of the top issues facing youth today.

The following are the biggest issues facing youth today

Broken families, Single parent homes

Today, more children than ever before are raised by single parents. It is either due to unwanted pregnancies, broken relationships, or high divorce rates. In terms of marriage, young parents are rarely compatible. As a result, this issue affects not only children but also new parents. The LGBT concept, as well as gay couples' adoption of children, has given rise to unusual family structures.

Whilst it seems wonderful to the Kindergarten child to have two dads who are both money banks and providers- it leaves out a huge gap that can be filled by a mom alone. The absence of one parent also creates lack of care and supervision for the kids. They become susceptible to other problems like emotional abuse, early relationships, drugs, unwanted pregnancy and so on.

Drugs and alcohol

21% of high school students admitted to being high, and 41% of the same group admitted to having alcohol. There was a time in film history when smoking was considered "cool," and everyone, including women, was shown with a cigarette in their fingers. The concept has evolved since then. Drugs are not portrayed as cool, and their rare appearance on film, such as in The Tourist starring Johnny Depp, is accompanied by a disclaimer and explicit narration that it is "electronic"!

Earlier onset of maturity

There was a time when kids just wanted to be kids. Occasionally, a child dressed up in his or her mother's clothes and carried dad's briefcase around, but this was regarded as harmless and amusing. Even the elders were entertained. Children as young as 10 and 11 are now becoming intimate with their partners. The media, including seemingly innocent cartoons, has had an impact on a child's development. Kids want to grow up quickly and have children. They believe they are too childish to be children. Even children's songs contain oblique sexual references, and entire series geared towards children dealing with intimacy are available.

Violence in Schools

When a mom decided to homeschool her kid the response of other parents as, “I don’t blame you, schools are so unsafe today.” Growing up is tough enough and add the tension of being stabbed or killed in math class to the kids’ problems and see what happens. Schools especially in poorer and backward areas today are literal war zones. It goes beyond the regular bullying as kids become victims of shootings, stabbing and suicide. The purpose of a school is to prepare a kid for the future endeavors after school but like many other things in life, schools are losing their essence.

Materialism

We are instilling materialism in our children because the concept of shopping "when you need it" and discarding when you don't is slowly fading. Kids usually wear what they see their friends wearing. We must teach them that they cannot have everything, even if their parents can. Possessions are not a measure of success or happiness. You don't work because you want more stuff in your house. We are raising materialistic children who are always looking for the next thing.

Obesity

Our kids are getting fatter and fatter. 20% of American kids are rather obese which brings it pretty much outside the safe range. We can obviously owe this to fast food and technology like tablets and play stations. Interestingly now kids even play cricket on Wii or Play Stations. It is rather ironic to walk on remote controlled cars and burn calories!

Educational disparity

The neighbourhood in which children live influences their access to education and pursuit of the American Dream. Being an American is insufficient. If you live in the suburbs or are a member of the Latino or African American minority, your children are likely to attend a school that lacks many necessities. Whites and Asians, on the other hand, have greater access to education and opportunities.

Economy

A few decades ago, a high school graduate could find work in a factory and continue to work there for the rest of his life with a fairly decent lifestyle. Today even multiple college degrees can’t guarantee a good job to students after they graduate. The world is now a global economy. What happens in Japan or China can have major effects on the stock prices in America. Developed countries used to sustain through their own manufacturing but with the passage of time the manufacturing is being outsourced to other countries where labour rate is low.

Poverty

The income disparity in society is growing wider by the year. If people only bought what they needed rather than what they wanted, fewer children would be teased at school. Nearly half of all American children are impoverished. And, if American children are poor, just imagine where the rest of the world is. Poverty fuels inappropriate social behaviours and problems. It also stifles growth and learning.

What is the most pressing issue confronting today's youth? Poverty is without a doubt one of the most pressing issues confronting today's youth.

Collective identity diminishing

The Americans are gradually losing their collective identity. If it is not my kid then it doesn’t bother anyone. American kids are getting obese doesn’t disturb people. American kids are suffering from increased abuse does not bother people anymore. People are more concerned with what is happening in their family, oblivion to the fire that is gradually encroaching their home too.

Youth is the future of any country. America is the superpower of a uni-polar world which is why we look to it in matters as such. In order to make the world a better place for our future generations, we need to look into these issues NOW. It is not a matter of years rather it would take decades before we can see any difference should we choose to have things changed.