4. Educational disparity
The following are the 10 biggest issues facing youth today.
10. Broken families, Single parent homes
Today, more children than ever live with single parents. It is due to unwanted pregnancies or broken relationships or high divorce rates. Young parents hardly find themselves compatible with each other in terms of marriage. So this problem affects not only children but also young parents. The LGBT concept and the adoption of children by homosexual couples have paved the way for unnatural family configurations.
While it seems wonderful to the kindergarten child to have two parents who are both money banks and providers, it leaves a huge void that can be filled by a single mother. The absence of a parent also creates a lack of care and supervision for the children. They become susceptible to other problems like emotional abuse, early relationships, drugs, unwanted pregnancies, etc.
9. Drugs and alcohol
21% of high school students have admitted that they have been high and 41% of the same group said that they had drunk alcohol. There was a time in movie history when smoking was considered “cool” and everyone, including women, was shown to be carrying a cigarette of some kind between their fingers. Today the concept has changed. Drugs are not shown to be cool and the rare appearance of such in a film, for example in The Tourist starring Johnny Depp, is given with a disclaimer and explicit narration that it is “electronic”.
8. Earlier onset of maturity
There was a time when children liked to be children. Occasionally, a child would dress in his mother’s clothes and carry his father’s briefcase, but that was considered innocent and fun. Even the older ones enjoyed it. Now, 10- and 11-year-olds are getting intimate with their partners. The media, including innocent-looking cartoons, have taken their toll on the growth of a child. Children want to grow up fast and have children. They feel too childish to be children. Even children’s songs have implied sexual overtones along with entire series marketed to children dealing with intimacy.
7. Violence in Schools
When one mother decided to homeschool her son, the response from other parents was, “I don’t blame you, schools are so unsafe today.” Growing up is hard enough and add the stress of being stabbed or killed in math class to the kid’s problems and see what happens. Schools, especially in the poorest and most backward areas, are now literally war zones. It goes beyond the usual bullying when children become victims of shootings, stabbings, and suicides. The purpose of a school is to prepare a child for future endeavors after school, but like many other things in life, schools are losing their essence.
6. Materialism
We are instilling materialism in our children because the concept of buying “when needed” and throwing away when not needed is slowly disappearing. Children often wear what they see with their friends. We need to let them know that they can’t get everything, even if their parents can afford it. Owning things is not a measure of success and happiness. You don’t win because you want to have more things at home. We are raising materialistic children who always have their sights set on the next thing they want.
5. Obesity
Our children are getting fatter. 20% of American children are quite obese, which is far from the safe range. Obviously, we can owe this to fast food and technology like tablets and game stations. Interestingly, now kids are even playing cricket on Wii or PlayStations. It’s quite ironic to walk around in remote-controlled cars and burn calories!
4. Educational disparity
Access to education and the fulfillment of the American Dream depends on the neighborhood in which children live. Being an American is not enough. If you live in the suburbs or are a minority Latino or African American, children are likely to attend a school that lacks many needs. Asians and whites, on the other hand, have better access to education and opportunities.
3. Economy
A few decades ago, a high school graduate could find a job in a factory and continue to work there for the rest of his life with a fairly decent lifestyle. Today, even multiple college degrees cannot guarantee students a good job after graduation. The world is now a global economy. What happens in Japan or China can have major effects on US stock prices. Developed countries used to support themselves through their own manufacturing, but over time, manufacturing is outsourced to other countries where the labor rate is low.
2. Poverty
The gap between the income levels of society increases every year. If people bought what they need and not what they wanted, fewer kids in school would be made fun of. Nearly 50% of American children live in poverty. And, if American children are in poverty, imagine where the rest of the world stands. Poverty is the impetus for inappropriate behaviors and social problems. It also obstructs development and learning.
What is the most important issue facing youth today? Poverty is undoubtedly one of the most important problems facing young people today.
1. Collective identity diminishing
Americans are gradually losing their collective identity. If it’s not my son, then it doesn’t bother anyone. American children are becoming obese it doesn’t bother people. American children are experiencing an increase in abuse that no longer bothers people. People are more concerned about what is happening in their family, they forget about the fire that little by little is also invading their home.
Youth is the future of any country. The United States is the superpower of a unipolar world and that is why we look at it on issues as such. To make the world a better place for our future generations, we need to look at these issues NOW. It is not a matter of years, but rather decades before we can see any difference if we choose to change things.
