Influence on adolescent behavior

Hello Steemains, the adolescent stage is a stage where habits and activities are being incorporated into the mindset of children. Taking this stage of their life seriously will help us tackle the acts of corrupt youths. The reason why youths have no jobs is because of the behavior that has been in their life from day one, especially because of the way parents neglect them. I would like to call on UNICEF and NGOs to help children grow into responsible adults by monitoring the way children are being brought up by their parents or guidance.

• What is Adolescent Behaviour? Explain in 150 words.

Adolescent behavior is considered to be the dynamic and complex changes that happen in the period of adolescence, most especially in children between the ages of 10 and 19. When individuals are in this stage, they experience several changes in emotional, physical, and social development. The physical changes are growth spurts, puberty, and the development of secondary sex characteristics. Adolescent can also experience emotional changes like mood swings, intense emotions towards their opposite sex, and exploration of identity.

In the social aspect, adolescents create and maintain their relationships with family, peers, and romantic partners. In this stage of stepping into adulthood, they often engage in peer influence, risk-taking, and identity exploration. Most adolescents take risks by trying out new things that they have seen in movies or heard about, most of the time resulting in reckless behavior. Some adolescents get influenced by their friends, such as seeking acceptance from peers and also trying out different roles, values, and interests.

The behavior of adolescents needs to be understood to help them make the right decisions because it is a crucial phase of development. Adolescents behave the way they do due to several factors, such as culture, environment, genetics, and social norms. Adolescent behavior is mostly classified as the period when adolescents leave childhood to develop their mental capability into adulthood. When these factors affecting adolescent behavior are known, parents and educators, such as healthcare professionals, should support and guide adolescents in navigating the challenges that they are currently facing, helping them develop into healthy, strong, confident, and capable individuals. Effective support can foster positive development and mitigate potential risks.

• Explain at least 3 factors influencing adolescent behavior.

Adolescent behavior is mainly influenced by several crucial factors that make adolescents behave abnormally and tend to think they are smarter than their parents or guardians.

• Family and parenting style
  Parents need to take care of their children well by training them in the way of God and also bringing knowledge and self-discipline into them. The quality of relationships between adolescents and their parents usually affects the behavior of adolescents. When parents put on nurturing, supportive relationships, they help to Foster the positive growth of their child, but if they do not do so and choose to neglect the behavior of their children, it will lead to behavior issues like disrespecting elders and immoral activities. When parents lack authority and communication with their offspring, it is said to be bad parenting, but if the parents have authority and communication with their child, it is known to be good parenting, which helps to foster Good development in adolescents.

• Social Media and technology
  Social media has been one of the main causes of adolescent bad behavior exposing them to nudes and content which encourages mannerless acts. When adolescents face online harassment, cyberbullying, and social comparison between peers, it can harm their health, causing them to feel depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Social Media causes adolescents not to have a good night's rest. The information that adolescents get from social media can have a serious impact on their beliefs, attitudes, and lifestyles. Social Media also makes adolescents become social media addicts, making them hardly leave the screen.

• Peer pressure or influence
  As an adolescent which I am, I have experienced something like this. Most of us feel that we need acceptance or validation from friends so we join them to do what they normally do causing influences our behavior, which means that if we seek acceptance from adolescent individuals who have corrupt behavior we will also indulge in corrupt activities, but over the years I don't do that shit anymore because I now feel that I have to leave the life which will profit me and not my peers. If adolescents are surrounded by positive peer relationships, they will imitate good behaviors and get recognition from elders, but in the case where the adolescent keeps bad company, her behavior will also be like that. It is even peer pressure that will make you become a social media addict, also affecting your academic pursuits and extracurricular activities, even your use of substances like hard drugs.

• How do social media and family influence adolescent self-esteem and perception of others?

Source

Social media and family influence the adolescent's sense of human and self-esteem, making them either portray good characters or bad behavior.

• Social media influence

Social media is a place that makes adolescents exposed to highlight reels, which causes when realistic comparisons and feelings of inadequacy, causing them to behave like what they see on the screen. Adolescents can also experience cyberbullying, which can change the way they view the future. Most times, social media showcases unrealistic things regarding fitness and beauty, which can contribute to body satisfaction reducing the self-esteem of adolescents. Because social media is non-stop, it makes adolescents always indulge in watching trending videos or headlines, which can change their expectations and lower their self-esteem.

• Family lifestyle

The character that adolescents possess mainly comes from home, it is said that train your child in a way he or she will grow so that when he or she becomes old he or she will never depart from it, it is also stated that charity begins at home and that good parenting brings good conducts in children. With that being said, it then shows that positive and supportive feedback from parents can help boost adolescents' self-esteem, while neglect or criticism can have negative effects on adolescents' behavior towards others. The attitude that parents portray among these kids can shape adolescents' self-esteem and relationships with others. A supportive and loving family environment can foster positive self-esteem, while conflict or neglect can have negative impacts.

When we take notes of these influences, parents, educators, and guardians can help adolescents become reasonable people who have thinking skills, self-image, and positive relationships with others.

• Do you think their mental health is affected by peer pressure or social media?

Source

Both peer pressure and social media can significantly impact adolescent's mental health. Here are the following ways:

Peer pressure

Peer pressure has a lot of effects on the mental health of adolescents. Most adolescents may want to fit in with peers or feel among the crew, leading to conformity. Peer pressure also causes stress and anxiety; this occurs especially when adolescents notice that they are not meeting expectations as regards peer influence. This also makes adolescents take risks that may cause their death, like taking alcohol or drugs, which can lead to mental disorders.

Social media

Social media is another factor that controls the behavior and thinking of adolescents. This often causes comparison, where they feel that they can do things that they see; it also causes self-doubt; chatting with friends can cause this, making them have feelings of inadequacy and mental problems like depression and loss of memories. When adolescents face online harassment, they feel depressed and anxious and isolate themselves, which can hurt their mental health. Social media is also known as the reason why most adolescents don't have a good night's rest because of the additive screen time, which causes critical mental health issues.

CONCLUSION

After the comparison above, I will say that social media takes the lead as the main cause of mental health issues for adolescents. You can imagine feeling sick because you didn't join a WhatsApp group chat last night; I wonder why social media has eaten the time that adolescents have to study in school. I suggest that Phones should be restricted from adolescents who focus on a lot.

By acknowledging these potential impacts, parents, educators, and mental health professionals can work together to support adolescents in developing healthy coping mechanisms and promoting positive mental health.

I would like to invite

@josepha
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