Advances in technology mean teens nowadays are facing more issues than the previous generation has dealt with. While some issues are not precisely new, it is no doubt that digital media has changed or amplified some of the struggles young people face today. 

The prevalence of digital communication has changed the way teens interact with their social peers. As a result, many teens lack interpersonal communication skills that might be essential to pick up social cues. Some of this dysfunction can be linked to excessive use of technology. 

Teens' social media and texting habits are changing the way they consume media, the way they communicate, sleep, exercise, and more. In fact, the research found that teens averagely spend over nine hours each day using their electronic devices, which could be a bad sign. Because of that habits, there are recurring issues that teens should be more aware of. Here are some of them.

Depression

The National Institute of Mental Health found that an estimated 3.2 million adolescents in the United States had at least one major depressive episode in 2017. Emphasizing that the data was before the pandemic, imagine living in today's society when the world is recovering. 

As of early March this year, the World Health Organization released a scientific brief which found that the COVID-19 pandemic triggers a 25 percent increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression globally. Some researchers believed that the rise in mental health problems is caused by technology. 

The findings stated that spending too much time on electronic devices prevents young people from in-person activities such as sports which could ward off depression. They also fear the slang word, FOMO, fear of missing out. It further leads to the fear of loneliness and isolation. 

Despite its numerous diagnosis, depression is often treatable, though it might need the help of professionals. Another way and possibly the easiest and simplest way to self-heal is to constantly make sure you get enough sleep. 

Bullying

One explanation that research studies have cited for this is the rise of social media users by teens. This situation leads bullying to elevate on public spread really fast. It is called cyberbullying. It has replaced bullying as a common type of harassment that teens nowadays experience. 

If you happen to spot bullying, there are several ways to help the victims. One of the ways is to talk to them and encourage them to share it with an adult. It is important to make sure that you are not a bully yourself as bullies often don't realize that they have become intimidating in some ways. Make sure that whatever you speak or do to another will not hurt them in ways that might make them not speak up. 

Peer Pressure

While peer pressure is not quite a new issue, with the age of social media, it turns to a whole new level. More and more teens are being pressured to do certain things that they should not do in Indonesia, like sex, drugs, and bullying. 

While teens sometimes make poor choices, they need to know that making mistakes is part of the process of growing up. This means that if you are one of them and you make mistakes, it is time to get back up. Although it is hard for some parents and their children to connect nowadays, it might be wise to share the problems to your parents. 

However, this clearly does not mean that you should deliberately make mistakes. On the other hand, you should be aware of the peer pressure surrounding your age. Knowing your limits, principles, and values are one of the things you can do to avoid peer pressure.