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Worrying about “kidsthese days” is a concern as old as time. And while previous generations have always worried about young people,there are real concerns with today’s youth that should be addressed.
Fromthedislocating effectsofthepandemic that occurred during crucial yearsoftheir academic and social development totheyet-to-be fully understood effectsofwidespread smartphone usage,there are plentyofreasons to be concerned.
Recently, we polled a nationally representative sampleofteenagers.They told us some worrying things.
Fifty-five percent of teens said most or all of their classmates use cellphones in class. (iStock)
First,there are few problems in education more pressing thanthewaveofchronic absenteeism sweeping acrossthenation.According to Nat Malkus attheAmericanEnterprise Institute,thenumberofstudents who missed more than 10%oftheschool year rose from 15% to 28%ofstudents from 2018 to 2022. A recentPew surveyofteachersshowed 92% saying that chronic absenteeism was a problem among students who attendtheir school.
When asked as partofour survey, 13%ofteens saidthey have already missed more than 15 daysofschool, puttingthem intothe”chronically absent” category. This was higher for female students (16%), students in rural schools (17%), and LGBTQ students (18%)
Why might this be? Other survey questions point to answers.
VideoSixty-four percentofteens agreed withthestatement that school is “boring,” including 69%ofBlack teens. We asked a different way as well, inquiring ifthey thoughttheir classmates were bored. Seventy percentofteens said that most or alloftheir classmates were.
Fifty-five percentofteens said most or alloftheir classmates use cellphones in class and 51% said few or noneoftheir classmates want to be in school.
There were darker trends too. While 57%ofteenagers saidthey felt safe in school, only 39%ofLGBTQ students, 47%ofrural students, and 49%offemale students agreed withthestatement.
VideoWhen it comes to not attending school, 7%ofteens told us thatthey had missed school due to a fearofsafety or bullying. When asked how welltheir school handled bullying, 37%saidtheir school did not handle it well, and 29%said their school did not handle violent behaviors well.
Can we be surprised that so many students are missing school whenthey are bored at best and afraid at worst?
Second, particularly withthepublicationofpsychologist Jonathan Haidt’s new book “TheAnxious Generation” and its searing indictmentofsocial media’s effect on youth mental health, we wanted to know how much teens say thatthey use social media, and howthey feel it affectsthem.
THE WAR TO SAVE OUR TEENS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA
VideoWe asked teens “Overall, howoften would you say you spend time on social media?” A whopping 74%ofteens told us thatthey used social media “very” or “extremely”often. When asked howthey felt it affectedtheir mental health, 40%ofteens told us that it was “somewhat” or “very” negative.
If large numbersofstudents find school boring, if smaller but still substantial proportionsofstudents do not feel safe in school, and if students are ontheir phones in class, using social media that is negatively impactingtheir social and academic development, chronic absenteeism might just bethetipoftheiceberg.
It is also telling that different student demographic groups have different opinions. LGBTQ students do not feel as safe astheir peers and are more likely to be chronically absent. Female students are more likely to say that social media is negatively affectingtheir mental health. Black teens are more likely to say that school is boring.
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Perhapsthebest place to start is with what should be a baseline prerequisite for any school: safety. We should not have reportsofstudents saying thatthey are unsafe in school, let alone 43%ofteens feeling unsafe. If particular groups are targeted fortheir identity, schools must identify that and root it out.
If schools aren’t safe, it is next to impossible to pursue any more ambitious initiatives.
Teens are telling us thatthey are struggling and are pointing towardtheissues that need urgent solutions. Will we listen?
Michael Q. McShane is directorofnational researchat EdChoice.
Colyn Ritter is a senior research associate at EdChoice, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to advance educational freedom and choice for all students as a pathway to successful lives and a stronger society.
