Anonymous
05/21/2025 14:42
Subject: Re:Younger people everywhere are unhappier — NYT
Anonymous wrote:We destroyed childhood and young adulthood. We made it competitive, stressful, and pressure filled. You used to be allowed to be lazy and idle in your youth, to experiment and try stuff out without major consequences.
Now kids are told at a very young age that their grades and test scores even starting in elementary school can have lifelong impacts (for admission to G&T programs or magnet schools). College has become absolutely essential even for many fields that didn't use to require it, at the same time that it's become prohibitively expensive and it's increasingly competitive to get into even average state colleges (because everyone feels pressure to go). The rise of the two-income family has coincided with intensifying job expectations and constant connectivity to work, so families that used to have real downtime where kids could be home with one or both parents with few demands on anyone, now have intense schedules coordinating childcare, two jobs, kid's activities and academic commitments (remember you can't slack, you have to be go go go or you might never get a college degree and thus never get a job).
We've also totally privatized childrearing. Kids don't play in the street or at the neighborhood park anymore, they no longer have more cohesive community through their schools. They are in private childcare or activities, public schools are overwhelmed and don't perform the community role they used to. Fewer families go to church so they don't get that support there. So now these parents, who are working more than ever, are also independently responsible for teaching their kids how to be people and navigate the world, either personally or via people they pay to do it.
We destroyed childhood. We destroyed summer, we destroyed after school, we ruined school sports and activities. We ruined academics with a fixation on test taking and benchmarking over wholistic learning, sustained attention, and deep learning. Oh yeah, and we addicted everyone to personal device screens which numb and distract but actually diminish happiness as they replace interpersonal interactions and physical activity, which are both known to boost endorphins and happiness.
We messed it up folks, but it's not too late. We can fix it. But step one is to acknowledge we have a problem.
Bravo! Well wriitten.
Anonymous
05/21/2025 14:39
Subject: Younger people everywhere are unhappier — NYT
Tech makes things more convenient which doesn't equate to better. Balance is a challenge. We are all so bad at it and need to prioritize it. It's tricky and messy.
I don't blame the young for being unhappy at all. I am too. Easy to feel like things are going great because modern times is more "civilized" and tech advanced but socially we are a disaster. Things are 100x more complex in a worse way these days. It's both better and worse.
I don't blame the young for being unhappy at all. I am too. Easy to feel like things are going great because modern times is more "civilized" and tech advanced but socially we are a disaster. Things are 100x more complex in a worse way these days. It's both better and worse.
Anonymous
05/21/2025 14:35
Subject: Re:Younger people everywhere are unhappier — NYT
We destroyed childhood and young adulthood. We made it competitive, stressful, and pressure filled. You used to be allowed to be lazy and idle in your youth, to experiment and try stuff out without major consequences.
Now kids are told at a very young age that their grades and test scores even starting in elementary school can have lifelong impacts (for admission to G&T programs or magnet schools). College has become absolutely essential even for many fields that didn't use to require it, at the same time that it's become prohibitively expensive and it's increasingly competitive to get into even average state colleges (because everyone feels pressure to go). The rise of the two-income family has coincided with intensifying job expectations and constant connectivity to work, so families that used to have real downtime where kids could be home with one or both parents with few demands on anyone, now have intense schedules coordinating childcare, two jobs, kid's activities and academic commitments (remember you can't slack, you have to be go go go or you might never get a college degree and thus never get a job).
We've also totally privatized childrearing. Kids don't play in the street or at the neighborhood park anymore, they no longer have more cohesive community through their schools. They are in private childcare or activities, public schools are overwhelmed and don't perform the community role they used to. Fewer families go to church so they don't get that support there. So now these parents, who are working more than ever, are also independently responsible for teaching their kids how to be people and navigate the world, either personally or via people they pay to do it.
We destroyed childhood. We destroyed summer, we destroyed after school, we ruined school sports and activities. We ruined academics with a fixation on test taking and benchmarking over wholistic learning, sustained attention, and deep learning. Oh yeah, and we addicted everyone to personal device screens which numb and distract but actually diminish happiness as they replace interpersonal interactions and physical activity, which are both known to boost endorphins and happiness.
We messed it up folks, but it's not too late. We can fix it. But step one is to acknowledge we have a problem.
Now kids are told at a very young age that their grades and test scores even starting in elementary school can have lifelong impacts (for admission to G&T programs or magnet schools). College has become absolutely essential even for many fields that didn't use to require it, at the same time that it's become prohibitively expensive and it's increasingly competitive to get into even average state colleges (because everyone feels pressure to go). The rise of the two-income family has coincided with intensifying job expectations and constant connectivity to work, so families that used to have real downtime where kids could be home with one or both parents with few demands on anyone, now have intense schedules coordinating childcare, two jobs, kid's activities and academic commitments (remember you can't slack, you have to be go go go or you might never get a college degree and thus never get a job).
We've also totally privatized childrearing. Kids don't play in the street or at the neighborhood park anymore, they no longer have more cohesive community through their schools. They are in private childcare or activities, public schools are overwhelmed and don't perform the community role they used to. Fewer families go to church so they don't get that support there. So now these parents, who are working more than ever, are also independently responsible for teaching their kids how to be people and navigate the world, either personally or via people they pay to do it.
We destroyed childhood. We destroyed summer, we destroyed after school, we ruined school sports and activities. We ruined academics with a fixation on test taking and benchmarking over wholistic learning, sustained attention, and deep learning. Oh yeah, and we addicted everyone to personal device screens which numb and distract but actually diminish happiness as they replace interpersonal interactions and physical activity, which are both known to boost endorphins and happiness.
We messed it up folks, but it's not too late. We can fix it. But step one is to acknowledge we have a problem.
Anonymous
05/21/2025 14:28
Subject: Younger people everywhere are unhappier — NYT
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Lack of community
This is possibly the biggest driver, but I do think social media has served to completely amplify all of the other problems, including this one.
Yes on both issues.
Anonymous
05/21/2025 14:26
Subject: Younger people everywhere are unhappier — NYT
The world is pretty fcked up so it’s not surprising.
Anonymous
05/21/2025 14:24
Subject: Younger people everywhere are unhappier — NYT
Anonymous wrote:loneliness
this is also an issue for old people
Anonymous
05/21/2025 14:24
Subject: Younger people everywhere are unhappier — NYT
Anonymous wrote:Too bad they will never see the article since it isn't in on tiktok.
Anonymous
05/21/2025 14:23
Subject: Younger people everywhere are unhappier — NYT
I think this is only a small subset. My children and their friends are all quite happy and active. Perhaps it has to do with family wealth and upbringing, more than making large general assumptions.
Anonymous
05/21/2025 14:11
Subject: Younger people everywhere are unhappier — NYT
loneliness
Anonymous
05/21/2025 14:10
Subject: Younger people everywhere are unhappier — NYT
Too bad they will never see the article since it isn't in on tiktok.
Anonymous
05/21/2025 14:06
Subject: Younger people everywhere are unhappier — NYT
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ7A8-YgFHM/
This is sad to see. Although it's interesting to me that older people seem to be happier than people in middle age. Is that true? I thought there was an elderly mental health crisis. Rise in suicide rates among elderly etc
Myself am ncreasingly depressed to see that my children are set to inherit a world that is deepening in inequity and loss of opportunity and rise in social media which only makes everything worse. Kids have it tough these days.
I’m not going to say things are great right now, but I think people have a very short view of history to think things are exceptionally bad now. It’s not the 70’s when teenagers were being shipped off to Vietnam, or the 40’s when all the men were fighting WW2, or the Great Depression when people were out of work and starving, or the Civil War when the whole country was embroiled in war.
Sure things could be better, but let’s keep some sense of perspective on it all.
But shouldn't we want a better future for our kids and descendants? I do think it's concerning that it seems like the 90s were apparently the pinnacle of human civilization and everything since then has been going downhill.
Anonymous
05/21/2025 13:48
Subject: Younger people everywhere are unhappier — NYT
Anonymous wrote:https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ7A8-YgFHM/
This is sad to see. Although it's interesting to me that older people seem to be happier than people in middle age. Is that true? I thought there was an elderly mental health crisis. Rise in suicide rates among elderly etc
Myself am ncreasingly depressed to see that my children are set to inherit a world that is deepening in inequity and loss of opportunity and rise in social media which only makes everything worse. Kids have it tough these days.
I’m not going to say things are great right now, but I think people have a very short view of history to think things are exceptionally bad now. It’s not the 70’s when teenagers were being shipped off to Vietnam, or the 40’s when all the men were fighting WW2, or the Great Depression when people were out of work and starving, or the Civil War when the whole country was embroiled in war.
Sure things could be better, but let’s keep some sense of perspective on it all.
Anonymous
05/21/2025 13:44
Subject: Younger people everywhere are unhappier — NYT
Anonymous wrote:Lack of community
This is possibly the biggest driver, but I do think social media has served to completely amplify all of the other problems, including this one.
Anonymous
05/21/2025 13:39
Subject: Younger people everywhere are unhappier — NYT
Lack of community
Anonymous
05/21/2025 13:38
Subject: Younger people everywhere are unhappier — NYT
https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ7A8-YgFHM/
This is sad to see. Although it's interesting to me that older people seem to be happier than people in middle age. Is that true? I thought there was an elderly mental health crisis. Rise in suicide rates among elderly etc
Myself am ncreasingly depressed to see that my children are set to inherit a world that is deepening in inequity and loss of opportunity and rise in social media which only makes everything worse. Kids have it tough these days.
This is sad to see. Although it's interesting to me that older people seem to be happier than people in middle age. Is that true? I thought there was an elderly mental health crisis. Rise in suicide rates among elderly etc
Myself am ncreasingly depressed to see that my children are set to inherit a world that is deepening in inequity and loss of opportunity and rise in social media which only makes everything worse. Kids have it tough these days.