What Are the Problems That Youth Are Facing Today?

The youth of today face many challenges that are unique to recent decades. Industrial, technological and environmental changes have made life both easier and more difficult for today’s children.

The biggest problem that youth face today is single-parent households that do not maintain an adequate income. The rate of single-parent families has been increasing since the 1950s, and women are typically the primary caregivers of children, meaning that mothers must both work full time and parent alone. Six out of 10 children that live in households with only the mother present live below the poverty line, which leads to even more problems for young people. Children whose parent works late, or works multiple jobs, are often left alone or with a babysitter for much of the time they are not in school. The lack of quality time spent with the parent has the potential to lead to emotional issues, like anxiety or depression. Children in these circumstances often do not receive adequate guidance on schoolwork or monitoring, resulting in low grades and poor learning. Other issues that affect children today include cyber-bullying. With the rise of the digital age, more children are creating online accounts and without proper supervision, they are subject to harassment and predators.