Are the kids really all right?

Hello. I'm a 67-year-old university professor, and my impression upon reading this article is one of great warmth and joy for today's youth. They have nothing to yearn for from the past, when previous generations prepared and arranged the world to distance it from the traditional "idiocy" of the 19th century, which haunted you well into the 1950s. We wanted it to be different for our children and grandchildren. We probably didn't achieve it with our own children, but it's gratifying to know that we did, in part, accomplish what we set out to do for our grandchildren. Greater sociability, more empathy, a greater awareness of our shared humanity—the only species that can thrive on social consensus, achieving what we humans have accomplished. I'm very pleased with the results.

Regards,

RPW

I'm a 7th grader, and I feel that we are better than previous generations — but that's just my opinion. Lots of people at my school say that it's not the kids bullying them, it's the parents. I don't know if that’s the situation for everyone, but that's what a lot of people at my school say. There is also a lot of quiet drama — but it's not quiet to the people it's happening to. Friendship breakups are almost as bad as bullying in my opinion. I lost all of my friends to a stupid fight last year, and I wrote a goodbye letter during the summer because I felt so alone and isolated (I never did anything past that, though). Parents also put a lot of pressure on their kids. My friend once said that she doesn’t eat breakfast or dinner at home because her mom told her she was “too fat” and “needed to lose weight.” This kind of thing makes people compare themselves to each other. I used to do that a lot, but I recognized it and now I try to keep it to a minimum — though sometimes I still feel insecure. More kids nowadays are being diagnosed with anxiety and depression, too. There’s also a lot of academic pressure at my school. I feel like teachers take the “teacher first, friend second” saying way too seriously and focus only on the teacher part. My English teacher cries and yells at us for being ungrateful, and then the next day she comes back like everything’s fine. The economy is also getting worse, and kids are starting to worry about that too. There’s a field trip coming up, and everyone is going, but I couldn’t go because of how expensive it is. We also wear uniforms at my school, and they are SO expensive. My mom spent $500 on shirts and pants for my sisters and me, so I’ve been saving my own money for a hoodie. There’s also a lot going on in the world, but I won’t get too into that. Everyone is more emotionally aware, though. AI usage has also gone up. Kids are using AI to think for them, and it’s impacting them in ways they don’t really understand. Overall, we are better, just not the best.

I’m a high school teacher of 27 years. As a science teacher I am careful about making unequivocal statements or judgments. But anecdotally, I feel certain I am detecting this. I work in a school district with a lot of poor families, perhaps 70% or more get free or reduced lunch. And a larger percentage of black and Hispanic students. I most definitely feel that students today are more accepting of others and their differences be it familial, color, sexual, what have you. Of course there is still prejudice. And there is still bullying, but even that I feel is dramatically less than it was decades ago. Again this is all from my limited experience. But I feel there’s more of a “live and let live” attitude in them. Cell phones are undeniably a powerful draw, and some cannot resist, but more often than not during free moments or in the lunchroom kids are interacting with each other in some fashion.. not solely embedded in their phones. In fact, it is this young generation that actually gives me hope. Amidst the myriad of problems and growing problems in our country and the world. I still feel that my generation failed them in a large number of ways and that they’re inheriting our problems that didn’t need to exist if we had made better decisions. Here’s to hoping they do that better than we did….