Against the political backdrop of Brexit, the epidemic of youth loneliness, mental health issues, the housing crisis, the anxiety of inequality and the intensifying threats of terrorism, how will today’s teenagers – as they approach adulthood – plan their future?
Scroll down and use the slider tool to see how this group responded, viewing relevant facts, statistics and advice they wanted to share. The images on the left show how young people felt while the images on the right provide factual information on each issue.
Will we ever have a home? – by Mariam, Kayleigh, Sara & Ben
We now have a generation of young people affected by insecure housing — either homeless themselves or growing up in an environment of financial burden.
Homelessness is complex and has many possible causes, but this housing crisis is certainly a factor. In England the number of those sleeping rough has doubled in the last five years.
How do we feel?
“My family have never owned a home, we have had to move around a lot, so for me it seems a certainty that I will have to rent in the future. I don’t believe I will ever own a home.” – Sara Bourenane
“I think the housing crisis will drive our generation out of London. Tenants spent nearly half (49%) of their salary on renting in London 2017.”
– Mariam Shaheen
“I always feel bad walking past homeless people in London. But it feels like our future will be very similar, only with a lot more people.” – Ben Teeny
“Homelessness is something that I have been affected by personally. I think it will be hard to find a home of my own in the future.” – Kayleigh Adams
For help, support and information about Homelessness in Barnet, contact Homeless Action Barnet (HAB).
Loneliness is not just being alone! – by Zion, Michael, Tia & Natasha
Loneliness increases the risk of premature death. It is more harmful than obesity or smoking 15 cigarettes a day, so as well as the cost to individual mental and physical health, it also costs the British economy £32 billion every year.
Experts claim social media contacts are seen by teens as substitutes for friends. One in ten teenagers told researchers that they have zero friends in real life.
We, teenagers of Generation Z, can sometimes have difficulty identifying feelings, responding to feelings, and remembering that feelings are not permanent.
Adults struggle with this too; however, for us, these experiences of emotional turmoil are much more intense – leading to feeling confused, inadequate, and isolated.
The evidence is clear: loneliness is toxic! And the problem is getting worse by the day.
Click here for support and tips on coping with loneliness.
Beauty doesn’t come from software! – by Chyna, Katy & Leanne
It is a sad reality that teenagers today are dissatisfied with their body image.
Young females in particular are struggling with body image more than ever before. They are constantly exposed to unattainable figures, be they ‘Photoshopped’ celebrities or their friends and peers posing on Snapchat, Instagram and YouTube.
An advertising think tank survey reported 55% of teenage boys would consider changing their diet to look better. Also many boys were aware of airbrushing but associated it with female images only. While they knew about the digital manipulation of images, they were shocked at how much models’ features had been altered.
Young people may feel unable to ask for the help that they need. Low self-esteem makes them extremely vulnerable. Depression and anxiety can be hard to spot because of the common stereotype that ‘all teenagers are moody’.
Low self-esteem is a thinking disorder in which a person views themselves as inadequate, unlovable and/or incompetent. 75% of girls with low self-esteem reported engaging in negative activities, like cutting, bullying, smoking, drinking or disordered eating.
Over 70% of girls age 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activities, such as attending school, when they feel bad about their looks.
Why not brighten someone’s day by posting encouraging messages on your school’s bathroom mirrors?
Treat me as your equal not as your own! – by Tilly & Marzieh
It’s been 100 years since women in Britain got to vote. How far have we actually come since then? Women are still too often subjected to sexism, abuse, harassment or violence. It’s time for this to end.
Campaigns like #me too and Times up help address and raise awareness of the systemic inequality and injustice against women in the workplace.
According to the leading campaigning charity the Fawcett Society, the gender pay gap for some groups of women is actually widening. It will now take 100 years to close it based on the current rate of change.
Please join us to #March4Women and call for an end to gender-based discrimination and violence in the workplace, around the world.
Terrorism doesn’t mean Muslims! – by Zach, Hamza & Ashlee
If all Muslims are terrorists, when less than 2% of terrorists happen to be Muslim, then all Muslims are peacemakers, because 5 out of the past 12 Nobel Peace Prize winners (42%) have been Muslims.
“I’m keen to dispel the myth that Muslim = Terrorism. It’s a label that wears me down.” – Hamza
“I can identify. I ‘m always getting labelled according to my race. Some people think all black boys are killers… I mean come on.” – Ashlee
“We need to pay attention to the language we use and be less judgemental. It makes no sense to me to equate Terrorism with Muslims. Many of my close friends are from the Muslim community and they are certainly not terrorists!”
– Zach
Connected yet isolated. Savvy but anxious!
If you are affected by any of the issues listed above or want to share a story of your own, we’d love your feedback! Comment below, visit our Facebook page or tweet us to let us know your thoughts.
Remember: Exposure is always looking for young contributors so if you feel strongly about something email fran@exposure.org.uk.
