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.
"When you think about looking into the mind of teenagers the most common thing that comes to my mind are cell phones. Kids are hypnotized by technology such as Ipads and Ipods, even consoles. Technology is encouraging teenagers to hide behind screens pretending to be something they are not to other people. On cell phones, you have texting, social media, and the ability to take selfies. You cannot find a teenager that does not have some type of social media whether it's Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat. It's sad how social media and cell phones has corrupted people in a way that nobody talks face to face anymore or has the ability to handle a conversation”
Britnee
"The first thing that comes to my mind is social media. That's where it all starts. Social media is where the drama begins. From posting stuff to provoke someone to react some type of way, to spreading rumors about other people. This generation just relies on social media. Social Media gives teens among others the freedom to express themselves and interact with others. However, it has its consequences. One of them is, cyber-bullying. Bullies often tend to attack when they see that their "prey" is feeling down or when they need to feel they have power. There's also no privacy. If you are not careful enough, you can post something that can haunt you forever. Never reveal personal information on social media because it can lead to identity theft, stalking, etc. In conclusion, social media can be good but also bad. It's up to us to use it wisely and not broadcast our lives. "
Harumi
"The first thing that comes to my mind is my friends. I value my friends more than diamonds. I only see them two times a week, and three if I'm lucky. I'd take a bullet for my friends. I'm very loyal to any friend of mine. It takes a lot for me to consider someone my friend because a lot of people today just consider anyone their friend, but I don't. If I do consider you my friend you can count on me for anything. I'll completely loyal to you and stick with you through thick and thin. I'll love you with all my heart and do absolutely anything for you."
Camilia
"When someone is "looking into the mind of a teen", you would think about technology, social media, and youth. Social Media controls teens lives nowadays. With the use of cell phones, teens are able to easily communicate with each other. Social media aids teens when they are trying to communicate with people around the world. It is amazing to know the capabilities of technology. Without technology, teens would be outside riding bikes to each other's homes to play."
Dauryz
"When I think about someone "looking into the mind of a teen," you think about makeup/appearance and social media. Many teenagers at this age tend to look for someone because of how they look, if their looks don't meet their standards, then trust me they will not talk to you. That's very bad because in life you should care about how a person is inside and you shouldn't make others feel less of themselves because you're bringing their self-esteem down. Also, social media plays a big role because all teens do is just post on Instagram and Facebook. They post everything about their life like where they have been what they've done. They don't focus on school enough, and that's one of the things that they have to change which is to focus on school more."
Christian
"If I were to see myself from the outside looking in, the trait that would stick out the most would be my appearance and the fact that I have a lot of friends. Most people would say that I am the best dressed among a lot of people or that I'm a very avid sneaker collector and that I love fashion. The fact that I make friends easily, weighs in on the fact of why I have so many friends. I know people from different towns and it comes in handy because if I ever needed some sort of quick favor from a friend, I could count on someone to help me out."
Anthony H
"The quote " looking into the mind of a teen", the thing that comes to my mind is social media. I think of social media because the generation that we live in is surrounded by social media. Social media is a major key factor in "our" lives because we are influenced and peer pressured into doing what everyone else is doing. This generation is full of followers and sadly everyone cannot be independent because everyone thinks being different is weird. Cell phones are another key factor into the tools needed to " look into the mind of a normal a teen."
Jamil
"When I think about someone "looking into the mind of a teenager" one of the things that come to mind is social media. This comes to my mind because I believe our generation of teenagers is strongly associated with social media platforms like sSnap Chat, Facebook, and twitter. Our generation uses these platforms in order to communicate with whoever they want to whenever they want to and it really shows how connected we all are via the Internet. I also believe that cell phones come to mind whenever I think of teenagers because even though we live in a connected world we are also disconnected from reality. Teenagers today use social media and their cell phones to the point where they can't go two seconds without checking their messages or social media platforms"
Ariana
"Well, when I think about someone "looking into the mind of a teen" what comes to my mind is social media, friends, makeup/ appearance. Teenagers are in an age where they are trying to find who they are. It's not about family anymore because they are already used to them and they know that their family will always be there to support them. In this stage of life, teenagers look up to social media all the time and for many reasons. They like to be involved in what happens in today's society. It plays a big role in their decisions because they want to follow what others do and they are scared to be judged for who they are. In addition, friends are also another thing that comes to my mind when we are "looking into the mind of a teen." We are influenced by our friends to experience other environments. Some teens get lost with friends because some of them are a bad influence in their lives. Finally, makeup and appearance are one of the topics that most teenagers care about. They care a lot about the way they look and they want to be up to date with new styles"
Samantha
"I honestly feel as though the list of things are the only things teens think about."
Jasmine
“When I think about someone "looking into the mind of a teen" a combination of appearance, social media, and friends come to mind. Most teens tend to focus on their appearance and make sure they fit the standards they consider good looking or beautiful. They all have a need to post pictures and share videos on Instagram, Facebook or any type of social media to fulfill their ego. Friendship has a big effect on our teenage years. We learn who are true friends are depending on our experiences. These are well-learned lessons that help us understand things better and to be prepared for the future. However, I can relate to friends, social media and appearance because we tend to share things about us or opinions for our "friends" to see. We also tend to give importance to what others think about us, our appearance, and that will determine whether our ego is satisfied, or if something has a negative effect on us."
Gabriela