O Level: Problems Faced By Teenagers

Growing into an adult is never easy.  For teenagers aged between thirteen and nineteen, the period is seen as difficult and problematic. To some, teenagers could even be considered as a weird species. It is as if life has unleashed its most powerful forces on every teenager and transformed them into monsters.  This journey is definitely onerous and daunting.  During this phase, problems faced by teenagers are manifold.  They have to cope with hormones, puberty, friendship problems and unprecedented pressures from school and parents.

Teenagers have to suffer body changes.  They experience physical changes to their bodies and are aware that they experience changes in their voices, the growth of body hair and acne on their faces and the disproportionate growth of their body parts.  Many do not embrace the transformation.  They feel that they are either too fat or too thin, too voluptuous or too flat, too tall or too short.  They are not satisfied with themselves and most do not see beauty in themselves and even dislike themselves.  Poor self-esteem and mood swings result.

Beside the problem of accepting themselves and embracing their individuality, they also have to endure many friendship problems.  Most teenagers desire to have friends and even be popular in school.  They long to fit in and be accepted by their peers and will do anything to ward off loneliness.  However, friendship of teenagers are usually more transient and fleeting in nature.  Trivial misunderstandings and malicious gossips can break friendship easily and devastate teenagers for days or even weeks.  Today’s friends could be tomorrow’s enemies or vice versa.

Teenagers are often targeted by bullies.  Bullies come in various forms.  Some physically attack their victims whom they see as weak, stupid or ugly.  Others psychologically control their victims by gossiping or repeatedly spewing verbal insults at their victims.  For example, I used to be bullied by a boy who loved to unleash his vulgarities on me even though I had not offended him at all.  Being verbally abused, I dared not inform the authorities for fear that a worse fate would await me.  Cyberbullying is now the latest evolution in bullying where cruel tweets, emails and messages are sent to victimize others.  This relentless bullying causes a teen to live constantly under a blanket of suffocating fear.

Teenagers also have to suffer great pressures in their studies and their future.  They are pressurized to succeed in this competitive environment to become the cream of the crop.  Many aspire to be scholars and none wants to appear even mediocre.  Parents also unleash furious pressures on their children to excel.  Their popular nagging is: If you do not work hard, you will end up sweeping the floor for a living!  Teenagers are worried that they cannot enrol themselves into their preferred courses in the polytechnics or the universities.  Many slog hard in their studies and suffer bouts of anxiety and even depression.  Some even contemplate suicide when they fail.  For many at-risk teenagers who cannot do well academically no matter how hard they try, they give up completely and run foul of the law by engaging in unhealthy pursuits like joining gangs, shoplifting, premarital sex or experimenting with drugs. 

As such, teenagers face a myriad of problems as they grow into adulthood.  Perhaps, it would be a good idea for responsible adults to each befriend and mentor a teenager to guide him or her during this difficult phase.  To be a friend to care and nurture.  To inspire them with passion, dreams and courage to face tomorrow.