Elders Share Challenges Today's Youth Shouldn't Face

Buzz Feed

a day ago

Every generation deals with challenges depending on what's currently happening in the world as they grow up. These challenges might have to do with financial burdens, social injustices, technological impacts, and more.
We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community who are part of an "older" generation to share something they wish younger generations didn't have to deal with, and they had a lot to say. Here are some of the responses:
"Bullying. Targeted bullying, usually online, by cowardly keyboard warriors. I would not be a kid today for anything. Bullying doesn't end when school lets out, it's 24/7 with social media. And sometimes it's parents doing the bullying toward opponents of their children!"
"AI and deep fakes. People can create fake lewd photos of someone within minutes. Yes, there are laws protecting this, but it won't stop people. AI is progressing, and it's going to get hard to tell what is real and what is not."
—shilderbrandt96
"The cost of housing. I'm really sorry. Damn."
—Anonymous, 48, Northern Virginia
"The idea of never getting ahead. Colleges seem to be intentionally pricing people out or placing people in massive debt just to take a gamble on a degree that they have to hope they can find a job for. I realize there are trade schools and, of course, working in a field that doesn't require 15 years of experience and a master's degree, but all of it feels so hopeless. It used to be standard for kids to move out, I'm not even sure that the younger generations will have that option."
—Anonymous, 34, California
"The environmental crisis. I genuinely feel awful about the world that's being destroyed while they watch, by people who don't have to live with the consequences."
—goblinkatie"I wish we could have turned back global warming. We're so sorry."—Anonymous, 54, Michigan
"School shootings. When I was a junior in high school (1993), a student died in an accident and the entire school was in an uproar. We went to class, but all the teachers did was a light review. They brought in an entire team of therapists to help us cope. 25 years later, kids were literally marching in DC less than a month after someone killed 17 of them *in their school.* I was impressed with their resilience until their peers gently told me this was a trauma response. Y'all don't deserve that. No teenager deserves that."
—Anonymous, 49, US
"The fake news EVERYWHERE. I've been on the internet since 1995 and even I'm having trouble knowing what's real."
"The influence of social media. All the facades and superficial agendas that are pushed via social platforms have really f*cked up society."
—Anonymous"I wish they didn't have to just accept social media and being online as THE way to be social and to prove 'you exist' or matter. It's like it's not even an option to opt out of Instagram anymore, even if you never post to the grid. And this means there are multiple layers of Instagram! You have your main page, with its close friends for your story, and then young people have their 'finsta" with another level of close friends. That's four social media-made circles around your relationships...dictated by an app....it's sad to me."—Anonymous, 31, Connecticut, US
"Donald Trump and his aftermath of destruction."
—Anonymous, 57, NJ
"Anxiety. Yes, there's a lot to be anxious about, but I don't ever remember feeling anxious as a kid. And I'm gay and grew up in a small town in the '70s! So many of my friends' kids have some sort of medical malady caused by anxiety. Most are on medication for it."
—kerwoodderby
"I wish they didn't have to deal with declining literacy rates and the decrease in critical thinking skills."
"The 'boys will be boys' attitude. Teaching girls that if a boy is mean to you, it means he likes you. Telling boys who are emotional that they are acting like a girl. Telling boys, especially teenagers, to 'act like a man,' meaning toughen up and be stoic. Telling girls they are hormonal, too emotional, and get 'crazy' on their periods. We need to teach boys that NO means NO, not try harder until you break her down and she says yes. We need to teach girls that it's OK to say no, and expect boys to respect that. We need more sex education and more education around consent."
—amandac4b39f8d18
"I feel the likelihood of a nuclear event increases with each passing day. I fear for my son and his young family."
"Fighting for healthcare. No one should have to worry about what the procedure costs if they need it to save their life, alleviate pain, or maintain bodily functions. That should include your teeth and your eyes without additional insurance charges. It should include not having to have the doctor fight your insurance to let you have the medicine they said you need. I hope we make universal healthcare truly a reality in America. It's shameful that we allow people to suffer in pain and lose their ability to function for money. No one should have to worry about whether they can afford their rent or their meds. Or wait years for a surgery or procedure. Or just accept they can't afford dental or vision, and deal with pain and losing their vision. At this stage in our civilization, we're truly a joke for not making sure our people have access to healthcare."
—Anonymous, 40, Florence, AL
"I feel bad for the kids whose parents plopped them in front of a screen instead of taking the time to teach them anything."
—lunaamethyst8124
"I wish kids didn't have to deal with so much distraction. Younger generations have such short attention spans, probably due to the massive amount of information and entertainment they are constantly bombarded with. Younger generations seem to only parrot what they hear versus researching and studying topics (for themselves) to get to the root of an issue. It seems like they only know how to explore one side of an issue without thinking through the entire issue. Their information seems surface level because they receive so much content and have been taught WHAT to think rather than HOW to think. Teaching kids to question what they hear and see is great, but without teaching critical thinking skills, well-rounded research skills, patience, civility, and discernment, it leads to a breakdown in society. People should be able to debate and disagree without getting emotional, rowdy, and disrespectful."
—Anonymous, 50, TN
"I wish the next generation didn't have to deal with the rise of fascism in this country. I wish they didn't have to deal with the rollback of civil rights and the attack on the environment."
—Anonymous, 59, California
"How accessible they are. We used to have to use the landline or eventually use a flip phone. Social media was just on your computer. Now it doesn't matter where you are or who you're with. People can reach you by any invasive means they choose."
—shilderbrandt96
"As a Gen X, I wish the younger generations didn't have to deal with technology taking up so much of their freedom and privacy. My generation was the last generation that could just go out, hang out with friends, without worry that pictures of us acting a fool popping up on social media. The freedom of not being always available — no text, no Snapchat, no calls, no email — is lost to the younger generations. Also, as a little kid, we had to play outside or with toys or be creative because there was not really any tech to entertain us."
—Anonymous, 46, US
"There's too much to even say here. I have never understood how people don't want things to be better for those younger than them. I am devastated seeing people younger than me go the same crap I did. Debt, student loans, the environment, the deteriorating human rights situation, gender equality, you name it. As a woman, seeing younger women being treated how I was when I did ANYTHING (walk into work, go to the gym, sit at a bar) is really discouraging. As an ally, my first experience of a friend being hurt because they're LGBTQIA came when I was 19. It felt like we were making headway and now it's gone sharply in reverse. Of course, everyone should be willing to put effort into their life, but the idea of young people being lazy isn't a new concept from older people. Every generation has been accused of that. It's just not true. There are lazy people in every generation."
"The pressure of organized sports from such a young age. No longer are sports and activities for fun or recreation. The pressure is on to pinpoint your sport of choice and begin by age 3 or 4, spending tons of money and hours of precious childhood in hopes of securing future scholarships. Everyone is convinced their child is the next pro. It's sad to see kids robbed of their childhoods trying to appease the adults in their lives, and frustrating for kids who want to join for fun when they're old enough to voice it, but can't since they haven't been trained since toddlerhood."
—Anonymous, 42, Oklahoma
Is there anything you would add? Let us know in the comments!