While students are constantly bombarded with a myriad of issues, many teachers believe that today’s hyperconnected world of social media dependance, world-wide unpredictability, and heightened academic expectations are the greatest contributions to them.
“The times that we live in are scary times. There is a lot of uncertainty and a lot of polarization; there are forces trying to divide us, and I think that it’s something we need to investigate and look at,” Assistant Principal Colin Fletcher said. “When we look into the eyes of our neighbors next to us, we must ask, ‘Are we going to find ways to connect with these individuals or will we listen to the forces that are trying to divide us?’”
In addition to the uncertainty of today’s world, many teachers are also concerned with the implications of social media and the impact it has on students.
“Most students grew up with [social media] in front of and around them, so it’s hard to take that away,” Caroline Wiesen, biology teacher and basketball coach, said. “There are so many issues that come with that like cyberbullying and [lack of] communication skills and, literally, just learning how to be bored.”
Wiesen describes having noticed that some students are seemingly “glued to their technology”, and in consequence, it can turn into a deficit of in-person communication skills. Around 36% of teens say that they spend too much time on social media according to Pew Research Center.
“[Students] have more opportunity to do harm to each other than they realize,” Jonathan Winship, Earth science systems teacher and soccer coach, said. “I think that the way that students have access to social media means that they don’t have to interact face-to-face, so it allows them to be much meaner than when I was younger when you had to say something directly to someone.”
Cyberbullying is defined as “sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else” according to stopbullying.gov. It has reached 37% of middle and high school students in the United States as of 2025, according to Research.com.
“People have to be careful of [knowing] what social media is designed for from a business standpoint, and that is to make money,” Fletcher said. “Whether it be Snapchat or Facebook or Instagram, the way that they make money is by creating a sense of unease, so that you’re doom scrolling, and that opens you up to ad revenue.”
Another problem that social media causes is the lack of cultural unity. There are so many genres of content and media, and choosing the one that you consume can be very overwhelming. Oftentimes, this content impacts your life, thoughts, and possibly beliefs.
“Back [when I was growing up], there was a single macro-society. For example, everybody watched the same shows on NBC on Thursday nights,” Fletcher said. “We all watched ‘Friends’, and we all watched ‘Seinfeld’, and we all watched ‘Frasier’, and then, the next day, we all got together and talked about it, but, nowadays, it’s so fractured. [There are so many] different subcultures, and there’s not that single kind of cultural identity that Americans used to have.”
Fletcher goes on to talk about how this modern array of stylistic choice contributes to the pressure that kids feel not only to fit in, but also to figure out who they are. This can cause many kids to feel a sense of isolation, as well as to struggle to find a place where they fit .
Aside from this issue, Fletcher also mentions that school is becoming increasingly competitive. It is much harder to get into college today, and it’s more expensive. According to The Science Survey, this is due to “both an increase in the number of applicants and the consistently growing perception that admission to elite schools is essential for future success.”
“A lot of students seem to handle the pressure very well, but there is a lot of stress going around,” Wiesen said. “I think that a lot of teenagers don’t know how to handle that stress, and, so, they look for outlets and bottle it up a lot, and there has definitely been an uptick in anxiety and depression.”
The combination of all of these factors can become extremely demanding on students, as well as parents. However, access to help navigating the teenage years is much more readily available than it used to be. If seeking assistance, speak to a counselor – a great way to start.
“You see every plane crash, you see every protest, you see every geopolitical event, bird flu and the price of eggs and inflation,” Fletcher said. “That causes a lot of anxiety for parents, and the stress levels that they have trying to keep up with [it] bleeds into the kids, and it turns into the anxiety that kids face.”
