Students' Responses to the following: Imagine if someone was able to “look into the mind of a teenager”, which one or combination of the following ideas comes to mind: social media, family, school, makeup/appearance, friends, cell phones or something else.
"Technology has corrupted the minds of all teens that roam the Earth today. They spend most of their free time surfing the web, liking videos/pictures on social media, and/or talking to friends about upcoming events. Then parents are confused when their child starts to face multiple problems in life whether it is physically or mentally. Unfortunately, these are just a few minor issues that technology brings to our eyes. Wait until your child begins to drive themselves from place to place. Instead of worrying about drinking and driving, parents are going to be more concerned about texting and driving. Hopefully, I won't need any more examples to convince everyone that this problem needs to be resolved immediately. Parents and other guardians need to act on the topic before it gets worse. Let us all work together and save the lives of our teens asap. "
Jyrah
"Thinking about someone who is "looking into the mind of a teenager", i is best represented by makeup/appearance and cell phones. I believe this because of the simple fact that there are so many young people that like to look good to be cool. They want to have all the latest fashion and accessories, including the newest source of technology which at the moment is the iPhone. Teens care more about fitting in rather than saving money or getting a good education. All of this is proven if you check the social media of almost any student, or just ask them."
Vaniamarie
"If someone looked into the mind of a teenager, I think they would see social media, family, friends, and cell phones. These are the topics I believe to be the ones that teens think the most about on a daily basis. Of course, they may think of school and appearance too, but not all the time like the other four concepts. Social media is linked to cellphones, just like you can link friends to family, which are basically your loved ones. So I can say that teens think about their loved ones and things relating to electrical devices, such as phones, video game consoles, computers etc. They also like to share their experiences and look at what other people are doing on social media, and without it, teens wouldn't express themselves as much as they do today."
Marilyn
"When I think about "looking into the mind of a teenager", I think of social media because teenagers are always on social media. The only reason is because of the fact that teenagers are always on social media taking selfies, posting, or starting rumors. For example, teenagers are on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. Most teenagers would just want to just take pictures every other second or record things that they see unreasonable around them. It's their way of living in this 21st Century as teenagers. Teenagers are the real definition of social media. Teenagers are on it 24/7 and would only get off social media if their parents are calling them for something unimportant to do. It's our way of life."
Harun
If someone looked into the mind of a teenager, I think they would see social media, family, friends, and cell phones. These are the topics I believe to be the ones that teens think the most about on a daily basis. Of course, they may think of school and appearance too, but not all the time like the other four concepts. Social media is linked to cellphones, just like you can link friends to family, which are basically your loved ones. So I can say that teens think about their loved ones and things relating to electrical devices, such as phones, video game consoles, computers etc. They also like to share their experiences and look at what other people are doing on social media."
Aigner
​"When someone looks into the mind of a teenager, you might wonder about what it is that they see. There's been a survey which shows that the first thing that comes to a majority of individuals minds is "social media." Social media is beginning to play a key factor in today's teenager's everyday life. Teenagers of today revolve their lives and idealize their life around social media and how social media portrays their definition of the "real world." Overall, they've become so dependent on technology that it's hard for them to function without it and this is what they choose to idealize."
Shania
"If someone was "looking into the mind of a teenager", they would find someone who is completely immersed in social media, swamped with the stresses of school, and focusing on their family life and what goes on at home. We live in a world where social media is taking over the world and we want to post pictures in order to get the most likes or be noticed by someone who is famous on that site. High school stresses many students out and they have to juggle homework, classwork, and studying for multiple tests. They also become stressed out when they get a bad grade on any of the above areas mentioned. Finally, teenagers want to make sure that their parents (or if they have siblings) are having a good day or are not stressed out. When their parents get home, they have to help out around the house because their parents would have had a long day at work and need the help of their children to get other things done. "
Abbey
"In this time and age for teenagers, makeup/appearance means a lot to most of the teens now. In my mind I feel that some females wear too much makeup I'm not saying there is something wrong with wearing makeup but at times it is not necessary. I know females that put makeup on just to put it on because they are bored. A lot of female teens spend large amounts of makeup and barely use it sometimes. Also, male teens spend a lot of time worrying about their hair more than their school work sometimes. At times I do this I spent a lot of time getting waves I was walking around with a brush and I would brush my hair 24/7. At times when I would be brushing my hair, I could be doing something more important. I would say in all teens spend most of their time and money on their appearance and I feel like it is affecting some students' grades. "
Steven
"I think the social media goes for this topic. Because a teenager on an everyday basis sits on their phone or computer and gets on Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat to sit and post things or comment on a post. I believe the problem is a teenager thing mostly from the 2000 babies who were brought up on technology and are addicted to it ever since. The thing is adults are on a trend of being on social media and they sometimes become addicted to posting everything even at work putting videos of what they are doing. Pictures are fine but stop putting your life story out there."
Nasir R.
"Social media is a big thing with teenagers right now people probably realized a lot of teens spend a lot of time on social media, The most important thing that I want to say is that social media is not a full portrait of something or someone. But most teens think that it describes them, for example, I have a friend who often scrolls through my feed and thinks ‘wow that person's life seems so amazing’ or ‘ I wish I could do that’, and when their feeling low that’s not a good thing. Social media creates a world of constant comparisons, we’re no longer just comparing ourselves with our friends and the people around us but we’re now comparing ourselves with hundreds or even thousands of total strangers. There are some people who make a career out of the things we can be jealous of, whether it's a dream job, or a super models abs or yoga teachers handstands that they read on social media. We can get insecure and feel inadequate over what we’re seeing but we’re not seeing the whole picture. I can absolutely guarantee that whoever you’re looking at has all kinds of insecurities and hang ups too. Social media only offers us a snapshot into someone’s life and there will be so many things that they’re not saying."
Caitlan
" Looking within the mind of a teenager I would have to say from personal experience I would consider family and social media as being the two most essential and influential aspects. These two factors are things that are the most important to me, family and school are two topics that surround my life each and everyday. Family is something that I hold dear to my life, I consider them as being my support group because they've always supported me through thick and thin. My family has also helped me make decisions throughout my life as well as helped me when facing certain situations. I also state school as another important factor because I along with many other teenagers are in school during most of the day and we each encounter one another and try to gain an education in which we would benefit from in the future. In conclusion, I believe that these are the two main topics that teenagers are mostly focused upon. "
Katherine