Midnight. Prisha's eyes sting. Her phone pings, another Instagram DM. Homework unfinished. Heart uneasy. Today's teens are navigating an unpredictable maze of likes, lectures, and looming expectations. If you have ever thought, "What's so tough about being a teen these days?" Let me take you on a walk through their world.

Life on the Feed: Social Media & Self-Worth

Nearly 398 million young Indians use social media, and teens easily spend 2-3 hours daily on platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. But here's the catch: it's not all full reels and filter play. In a 2022 India Today survey, 65 per cent of teens admitted to comparing themselves to influencers or friends online and feeling inferior afterwards. That scroll? It's not always soothing. It's a self-worth trap. 

Rohan, 16, once said: "It's like a game. Post a selfie, wait for likes. No likes? You feel like a loss." Behind every post is a silent question: Am I enough? The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience (NIMHANS) found that 27 per cent of Indian teens show signs of social media dependency, losing sleep, zoning out in class, and constantly checking phones. We talk about dopamine hits and attention spans, but what about the anxiety of not performing your life online?

Cyberbullying and Digital Dread

Globally, 53 per cent say online bullying is a major issue (Pew Research Centre, 2022). And India isn’t far behind. Think group chats turning sour, or anonymous trolling after a breakup. A WHO report (2024) warned: peer pressure via media deepens the rift between who teens are and who they think they should be. One student admitted: "A mean comment on my photo stayed in my head for weeks. I started doubting my looks, my clothes, everything."

Online meanness isn't just virtual. It's very, very real.

Related story: How to Use Social Media Consciously

Student by Day, Trainee by Night

Imagine preparing for two full-time roles: school and competitive coaching. For them, the job hasn't even started, but they already feel like students by day and competitive exam trainees by night. Here's the pressure in numbers: Over 200,000 students fight for 1,200 AIIMS seats every year. That's less than 0.6 per cent selection (India Today, 2024). This pressure doesn't wait until the last year of school; it starts much earlier. Kids in most homes are conditioned right from primary school with one-pointed aim: top ranks, elite universities, high-profile jobs. The pressure to "crack IIT" or "be a doctor" isn't even an aspiration; it's made to feel like a life plan cast in concrete.

When academic achievement becomes the only yardstick of value, most teens begin to lose their way in terms of their dreams, interests, and sense of identity. Gradually, this disconnection can result in increased rates of anxiety, low self-esteem, and, in extreme cases, depression. What begins as advice often turns into a tunnel with no exit for detours. 

The Cost: Student Suicide Crisis

In 2022 alone, over 13,000 students in India died by suicide, a figure that's doubled in 10 years (India Today, 2024). Some were just 14, devastated by exam results. Others were top performers who simply couldn't take the constant grind. Some students have a mindset of: "If I don't get into a good college, I'm nothing. What will my parents think?” And the pressure isn't loud or abusive. Sometimes, it's disguised as love.

Related story: Ways to Help Your Teen Regulate Anxiety

Friends, Fitting In And Fear of Being 'Lame'

You remember how school life had its own rulebook, right? What's cool, what's not? Now imagine those rules changing every week and being broadcast on everyone's feed. Peer pressure today isn't just face-to-face. It's digital. If a group starts vaping or drinking, saying no might mean being left out. According to a 2024 (Journal of Education and Health Promotion) review on Indian adolescent behaviour, fear of social exclusion often draws teens into risky behaviour even when they know better.

Related story: Caught Your Teen Smoking? Here’s Help

Teenage Is For Studies, Not Dating

While teens today might secretly date or fall in love, most won't admit it at home. Parents still say things like: "Dating? No way. Not until you're 25." (ParentCircle Panel Discussion, 2023) 

This secrecy creates guilt, confusion, and a split between their social and family lives. Thankfully, experts at NIMHANS now say the better path is guidance, not guilt-tripping, talking about consent, emotional health, and healthy boundaries (ParentCircle, 2023).

Related story: Teen Dating in India: Parenting Mistakes to Avoid

Mental Health: The Battle Beneath the Surface

According to the International Journal of Contemporary Paediatrics (2024), 14.2 per cent of teens in Karnataka had poor mental health scores, with girls more than boys. The World Health Organisation (2024) states that 1 in 7 adolescents worldwide has a mental health disorder. Yes, the stigma persists. "If I go to therapy, people will think I'm crazy. So I pretend I am fine." One of my cousins confessed to me.

But change is slowly coming. Schools now offer peer support groups and even "Feelings Boxes" where students can anonymously share what they're going through. And sometimes, just being listened to is a lifeline.

Related story: Ways to Support Your Child’s Mental Health

What Do Teens Really Want?

Not lectures. Not labels. They need space to fail. To rest. To be confused. To find themselves between the reels and report cards. As my cousin only said to me one day, "Thanks for just listening. That helped more than you know." So maybe the question isn't "Why are teens so dramatic these days?" Maybe it's: "What are they dealing with that we don't even see?" Because sometimes, the strongest thing you can offer a teen isn't advice or discipline, it's presence, patience, and a bit of grace.

Related story: Maintain A Healthy Bond With Your Teenager

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