TEEN LIFE, THE PAST VS. NOW. By Emilia Méndez Gamboa.

 TEEN LIFE, THE PAST VS. NOW

When people give their opinion about teenage life, they might assume it has always looked the same year after year…school, friends, figuring out who you really are and who you want to be. But if we compare how teenagers lived then, vs how we live now, the differences are actually insanely huge. Our grandparents, for example, grew up in a world without the easy ways of finding information, smartphones, social media, or even common streaming services. If they wanted to talk to a friend, they had to visit their house. Entertainment meant playing outside the houses, listening to the radio, going to the park, or watching one of the few channels on TV, if they had one.

Today, teens are more connected than ever with different ways of communication. We can talk to friends through messages, video calls, and social media anytime we want, and we can. We have access to thousands of shows, songs, information sites, and games instantly. But even though that sounds great, it also comes with negative consequences. The pressure to look good online always, get likes, give a certain impression, or respond quickly to messages can be so stressful. There’s a lot more of what the past teenagers lived, and that affects mental health in ways that older generations didn’t experience in the same way.

School life has also changed. Students used handwritten notes, encyclopedias, and books in the past. These days, we still use them, but we have the help of digital platforms, AI, and Google. Distractions are everywhere, despite the claim that learning is simpler. Constantly getting notifications can make it difficult to concentrate. Also, many teenagers nowadays have more independence than previous generations, who were expected to mature fast and work around the house. However, they also confront new types of pressure, which include internet drama, body image standards, and academic competitiveness.

Of course, not everything has changed for the worse or better. Many teens today are more aware of the world, they are more open-minded, and more interested in issues like climate change, mental health, and equality. That’s something to be so proud of.

In my opinion, teenage life today is more complicated in certain ways. We have more tools and more freedom, but also more stress and expectations from the outside. Maybe outside. Maybe our grandparents had a simpler time, but we’re growing up in a world that’s constantly changing day by day and that’s both exciting and challenging.