Many of us teenagers have felt unmotivated, lonely, tired and even sad, since the beginning of quarantine, which began last March. We depended on friendships, school activities, teachers, sports, and clubs to distract us of our problems and to have fun. But all of those have been cut off and hard to keep, with online learning through Zoom conferences. We now spend our days laying in bed, watching Netflix, and spending hours scrolling through social media. Our broken connections and friendships has taken a toll on many teenagers mental health.
According to Upfront’s latest magazine issue, ‘I Felt Like I Was Suffocating’, many teenagers have reported feeling this way; unmotivated, tired, and anxious. Although some may argue that a teenagers’ primary way of communicating with friends could be through TikTok, Instagram, FaceTime, Twitter, etc, teengaers still need real life interactions with friends in order to maintain and expand their social skills. A person’s high school years are very important when it comes to social skills and preparation for the future. From applying to college, FAFSA, and getting career advice, many students have missed out on important information and help on these topics.
Events such as prom, homecoming, football games, and field trips, are expected to be cancelled as well, which would have been the highlight of one’s high school career. Overall, due to the lack of participation in any of these events, and because of social distance learning and quarantining, many teenagers have felt lonelier and more anxious than ever.
