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[Mistake]

I respect this sentiment and, ultimately, agree with it. But do you think there's a threshold where, when maybe there's enough humans and enough of their bullshit on the planet that we might want to pump the procreation brakes a bit?

The only countries that think this way are western nations. Take a trip to any part of asia and you’ll see it’s the complete opposite. Currently, there is no good solution to reduce population sizes without a lot of suffering. Society is based off growth, so when we have less people feeding the system, things fall apart. In any case, I see nothing wrong with having a kid or two. I mean, at two you’re just replacing what is there anyway

 

[Clear]

Individualism in the form of egocentrism, i.e. the conviction that the world has to cater to your every whim. Social media promotes social solipsism by constantly putting you at the center of your own universe.
Group identity and adherence has always been important for teens.

Indeed, but I'd argue that its beyond peer-group identity because its now embedded within some sort of totalist world-view, perpetuated through the mainstream media, education and government.

Its natural for kids to rebel against their parents and established order, but that's really not what's happening at all. For all the angsty militance its all desperately conformist, because that conformity to external order is underpinned by real, existential threat to their academic progress, their job prospects, everything.

The objective reality is any kid is one shit-post away from being un-personed. That's terrifying.

 

[jonnyp]

Bad parenting creating a bunch of entitled snowflakes.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Honestly?

I would be very happy if i could move to the states.

Theres like a million better places to move and I'm pretty sure any US citizen would tell you the same. You know where I would move? Norway. Now thats a good fucking country to move in, politically and financially.

 

[Thirty7ven]

Yeah. Over population is probably the biggest reason for me personally.

To me this is insane as overpopulation is probably not a problem where you live. More economically stable and technologically advanced societies don’t have an overpopulation problem, they have a birth rate problem.

 

[Trogdor1123]

Points 1 and 4 seem to be the ones causing this issue to he most from my experience. I pulled social media away from my kids and it made an immediate impact. Point 4 is also clear as day. So many parents want to be friends with their kids, but they shouldn’t be. People forget to let their kids fall and pick themselves up. Let your damn kid go run around outside ffs. Let them fall and bloody a knee or two and for gods sake don’t indulge everything or live vicariously through your kids!

 

[AV]

But it isn’t hard to see why? The prospects for being successful like the generations before are grim. It’s borderline impossible for most people to afford homes these days, among other things.

I think it's more that, unfortunately, you can't just do what you actually want and make a living off it. Jobs that never existed before are highly desirable but only a handful of people will ever make it. People really believe "famous Youtuber, food blogger, music critic, esports player" are viable career paths for everybody when in reality there's not much chance you're going to get paid a good wage, if anything at all.

Learn to code is a meme but honestly, IT is such a free career path, even if you aren't particularly interested in it. I have no passion or love for coding but it pays the bills well and is super low stress. Not one of my University friends is using their fine art degree. Not one. Now they're in tens of thousands of pounds of debt because school told them they "should" go to University. Meanwhile tradesmen are getting paid fat stacks because those industries are always needed and there's less and less people being funnelled to them. Just look at the recent HGV driver shortage. Does a trucking job sound glamorous? Nah, but there's not enough of them and they get paid well.

 

[Wildebeest]

I'm not allowed to say that instagram is rat poison for the soul, just as soon as knew I wanted to say it. Too cruel.

 

[Draugoth]

Theres like a million better places to move and I'm pretty sure any US citizen would tell you the same. You know where I would move? Norway. Now thats a good fucking country to move in, politically and financially.

I would like to move to America just because eletronics, games, products (which are my gimmick) are considerably cheaper.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

Anecdotal: I have a teenage nephew and a niece in her early 20s (she's in grad school right now).

It's almost surreal seeing the social circles they interact in. Almost everyone has their phones out. Eye contact is almost nonexistent. Topics are only discussed superficially and change very quickly, almost as if it's a real-life version of short TikTok videos/Tweets. Speech patterns are bizarre; I'm a millennial but feel like a boomer because half the time I don't even know that they're saying.

Funny that something called social media arguably turns people antisocial.

 

[Jsisto]

My two cents is, The news is a huge contributing factor.

No matter which channel it's on, it's always negative, from wars to covid, to climate change to everyone is racist/ misogynistic bla bla bla, its 24 hours a day of none stop despair.

Go to an airport, CNN is on 24/7, go on to yahoo to check emails, it's just none stop articles trying to make you pick a side and hate on someone.

And it's the same every single day, day in, day out, year in, year out.

I agree this is a big part, and the constant stream of negative news spills into peoples social media news feeds, so there’s no real escaping it unless you make a conscious effort to. I just went to cnn.com and the entire front page was war, people getting shot, rape….bad shit absolutely does happen, but it’s very obvious the mainstream news has evolved into little more than a manufacturer of outrage.

 

[Davey Cakes]

Anecdotal: I have a teenage nephew and a niece in her early 20s (she's in grad school right now).

It's almost surreal seeing the social circles they interact in. Almost everyone has their phones out. Eye contact is almost nonexistent. Topics are only discussed superficially and change very quickly, almost as if it's a real-life version of short TikTok videos/Tweets. Speech patterns are bizarre; I'm a millennial but feel like a boomer because half the time I don't even know that they're saying.

Funny that something called social media arguably turns people antisocial.

Gen X and Millennials invented memes, and Gen Z uses memes as language. It's how they communicate.

Now, while I think that's a potential problem, I agree that the constant negative news cycle contributes heavily. Kids aren't watching Fox News and CNN but that garbage still bleeds into their news feeds.

Also, the market is saturated with bullshit. We live in a consumer culture were no one has to (or even wants to) commit to anything because there are too many options. It's definitely led to people having shorter attention spans. It's an embarrassment of riches, but for stuff that doesn't matter. I say this as someone who loves video games and YouTube.

 

[AJUMP23]

I respect this sentiment and, ultimately, agree with it. But do you think there's a threshold where, when maybe there's enough humans and enough of their bullshit on the planet that we might want to pump the procreation brakes a bit?

The population of the world is not really anything I worried about.

 

[Bojji]

Step 1: put your mobile down and disconnect from social media and ban political shit out your life + news ( well little news is acceptable )
Step 2: go to a gym
Step 3: talk with people around you and meet up with them, do board games or whatever with them, eat, etc etc.
Step 4: go to lots of festivals
Step 5: plan for small vacations, make pictures for yourself don't show it on social media.
Step 6: enjoy life.

Problem with youth is they compare themselves to all the fake standards on social media and constantly are riled up about shit that doesn't effect them because u gotta be outraged, they see all there friends have incredible lives which they don't have and the end result is u can never be happy. While the reality is, that other person on the other side of the screen is just as miserable as you.

Can you really enjoy life when you force yourself to do things that may not be enjoyable to you?

 

[mclaren777]

This book should be required reading in this country. Every parent must read it, as should everybody who has to manage/supervise anybody under the age of 30.

 

[Topher]

Theres like a million better places to move and I'm pretty sure any US citizen would tell you the same. You know where I would move? Norway. Now thats a good fucking country to move in, politically and financially.

Why do you think "any US citizen" would say that? Have you ever lived in the US?

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

Especially if constantly assaulted by the news like "Earth is dying", "nature collapses", "crisis 1", "crisis 2", "shooting" etc.
News media loves bad news as it clicks and views sell. But not everybody can handle that.

Then lockdowns accelerated some bad trends.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Theres like a million better places to move and I'm pretty sure any US citizen would tell you the same. You know where I would move? Norway. Now thats a good fucking country to move in, politically and financially.

Speak for yourself on that one. There are lots of great places to live in the states. Norway is super expensive and cold as fuck. No thanks.

 

[Davey Cakes]

Especially if constantly assaulted by the news like "Earth is dying", "nature collapses", "crisis 1", "crisis 2", "shooting" etc.
News media loves bad news as it clicks and views sell. But not everybody can handle that.

Then lockdowns accelerated some bad trends.

Everything is about clicks these days, and negative headlines feed into outrage culture. It's all about making money, with no regard to our collective mental health.

In other words, unfettered capitalism is the problem.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Aimless liberal values in the modern world, the death of orthodox and traditional values, along with excessive use of the Internet and being exposed to fake social media and bombarded with news is probably a big part of it.

Lack of religious beliefs and the not taking in the philosophical perspectives you can gain through the wisdom of the past likely plays a part too.

We take many things for granted in the modern world, such has having a healthy body and a roof over our heads. Gratitude is important and that can only be gained through perspective, hard work and critical thinking. Keeping our minds healthy and sharp is important, rater than intoxicating it with substances. Instead we champion decadent over consumption based living and liberalizing every facet of society, from gender identity, legal and illegal drug use and much more.

It's a deep issue and we have to look at the state of culture in the west and ask tough questions about modern values and the culture it creates. We have to ask whether abandoning the family unit, encouraging divorces, abortions, discouraging raising kids, encouraging smoking up weed and tearing down the orthodoxy, such as "It's good to be a healthy weight and not be a fatso" is actually a good thing. The US has over 100k+ Fentanyl and rising OD deaths each year in younger people and this should be the societal red flag that the culture is failing and weakening as time goes on.

The Internet plays a part yes, but Western culture is under attack and seemingly crumbling because of so many reasons, such as crumbling structures that brought success and meaning to peoples lives.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Why do you think "any US citizen" would say that? Have you ever lived in the US?

Speak for yourself on that one. There are lots of great places to live in the states. Norway is super expensive and cold as fuck. No thanks.

 

[Wildebeest]

Post that anime JIFF after you have emigrated from the US to Norway and been in a grocery store for the first time and seen the prices and limited selection of goods.

 

[Mossybrew]

This book should be required reading in this country. Every parent must read it, as should everybody who has to manage/supervise anybody under the age of 30.

Good call for this thread, excellent book.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

This book should be required reading in this country. Every parent must read it, as should everybody who has to manage/supervise anybody under the age of 30.

Enough people have recommended this book (both IRL and on this forum) that I should probably order a copy and read it soon.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

I think you can apply a lot of this to twenty-somethings too. My girlfriend is 26 and is frequently miserable. I think a lot of it has to do with her constant exposure to negative news and social media over-usage.

 

[Wildebeest]

Aimless liberal values in the modern world, the death of orthodox and traditional values, along with excessive use of the Internet and being exposed to fake social media and bombarded with news is probably a big part of it.

Lack of religious beliefs and newfound philosophical perspectives from that likely plays a part too.

We take many things for granted, such has having a healthy body and a roof over our heads.

The problem is obviously the lack of teenage drinking and rock & roll. People didn't even bother to record the levels of teen depression in ages of orthodox traditional values because it was assumed to be 100%, where everyone wanted it to be.

 

[Trogdor1123]

Some of the reasons I have would be considered “political”, so I’ll avoid those.

But it isn’t hard to see why? The prospects for being successful like the generations before are grim. It’s borderline impossible for most people to afford homes these days, among other things.

But that’s not true. The biggest brain drain in history is about to happen. The work force is better educated than ever and labour mobility is better too. The long term growth opportunities for anyone under 45 right now is incredible. Just look at the positions available right now.

I have no idea what I did to make it quote my words as yours. I totally agree about the socialization. I am pushing my kids to go see real people as much as possible now.

 

[HarryKS]

Yeah, because they're growing feeling overwhelmed and scared and scarred by the constant pressure put on them about global warming.

They keep hearing about it in school and are constantly told they're the ones to blame. It's suffocating.

They don't hear about how there's always a solution to a problem, just that they're the problem, driving nihilistic tendencies through the roof.

 

[TGO]

Not surprised, the world as a whole has gone into a nose dive in the last ten years

 

[GHG]

*looks at the graph*

Not surprised, the world as a whole has gone into a nose dive in the last ten years

Lol no it hasn't.

 

[Kenpachii]

Can you really enjoy life when you force yourself to do things that may not be enjoyable to you?

Then do shit that is enjoyable towards you, unless its destructive. I can tell you this no social life is destructive more then people realize.

 

[Nydius]

I had a tough enough time being a teen in the late 1980s, early 1990s when the closest thing we had to social media was caller ID. My stepson was a sophormore in high school when the iPhone craze began and graduated before social media had really taken root in daily society. I couldn't imagine being a teenager today, facing not only local judgement from brutal peers but now also exposing one's self to a constant barrage of punishment by faceless, 'anonymous' online trolls who will never feel any real repercussions for their behavior.

News being negative is nothing new and my late mom loved repeating the story of how 7-year-old me asked my dad why the news was always about killings and shootings. But, again, I grew up where the only 'news' were the news papers, the big three nightly news programs, and cable TV was in its infancy. I could easily avoid the negativity by simply not turning on the TV. Having a constant news source sending push notifications to my lock screen has utterly changed how I feel about world events, and I'm a 45 year old adult. For a teen, the seemingly constant bad news has got to be devastating to their mental development.

Without wading too deep into the political morass, I read the line about how sadness is trending upwards faster with white teens and couldn't help but think: Well what do we expect after the last several years of the media and their peers calling them racists and bigots based solely on their skin color and further excluding them from discussions about race and equality, sometimes being so blunt as to tell them to 'sit down and shut up'? Of course that's not going to be healthy for their mental health.

I think the prevalence of music that wears depression and opioid abuse as some sort of glamourous trait or badge of honour is not helping.

A lot of mainstream rock music is just as dreary.
Some examples that get played in heavy rotation on my local "modern rock" station:

Three Days Grace: This So-Called Life
The Glorious Sons: S.O.S. (Sawed off Shotgun)
Theory of a Deadman: Rx (Medicate) and History of Violence

Just to name a few. They're catchy and poppy but depressing as fuck. Then again, my teen years were dominated with Grunge songs that were pretty negative and metal like Megadeth with their super optimistic (/s) tracks like Symphony of Destruction and Train of Consequences sooooo maybe I'm not the best judge of music's impact on mental health.

I have several friends who are mid 40s, have families, good jobs and solid income, and they're choosing to go social media cold turkey. They say it's a great feeling.

Earlier this year I got fed up and ditched Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram. I only keep Facebook because I have a few close friends who will only communicate through Facebook Messenger. I haven't missed them and I feel much less angry and anxious about the world. I didn't realize how much Twitter and TikTok, specifically, were impacting my moods until I ditched them. And it's not like I really made friends there -- friends on social media are ephemeral, fleeting. About as solid as a fart in the wind. I don't really miss anyone I considered a close follow there, and I doubt any of them miss me.

 

[GHG]

All I will say is that a disproportionate amount of people have replaced social life's with social media.

The kicker is, even when out and about you see people still on social media despite being around other people.

People don't know what it is to be present enjoy the moment anymore. How can you actually enjoy anything if all you're doing is worrying about content/footage for social media?

 

[Davey Cakes]

The problem is obviously the lack of teenage drinking and rock & roll. People didn't even bother to record the levels of teen depression in ages of orthodox traditional values because it was assumed to be 100%, where everyone wanted it to be.

Really good point. We're in the INFORMATION AGE. People are miserable because they know too much about the world.

I think it's funny that the solution people come up with is "we should lessen internet use and social media" rather than "we should address the core problems of the world." Ignorance is bliss, but we simply can't be ignorant anymore.

 

[AV]

Can you really enjoy life when you force yourself to do things that may not be enjoyable to you?

Depends whether you're talking about exercise or music festivals. One is entirely optional. The other should not be regardless of how little you enjoy it.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

People don't know what it is to be present enjoy the moment anymore. How can you actually enjoy anything if all you're doing is worrying about content/footage for social media?

Bingo, well said.

More people should be like this old lady and less like the idiots around her:

 

[TGO]

*looks at the graph*

Lol no it hasn't.

Sure, If ya say so

 

[Davey Cakes]

Bingo, well said.

More people should be like this old lady and less like the idiots around her:

What's funny is that the people around her are all ages. So this social media obsession is not relegated to younger generations.

I mean, yeah I use Twitter, YouTube, and Twitch but I dropped Facebook like a bag of dirt. Never cared for Instagram. Older people are the ones using Facebook and a lot of them are just as attached to their phones as anyone else.

 

[Nydius]

More people should be like this old lady and less like the idiots around her:

That picture made me immediately recall an old George Carlin bit from 1996, during his "free-floating hostility" rant:

"And can anyone explain to me the need for one-hour photo-finishing? You just saw the fucking thing, how can you possibly be nostalgic about a concept like a little while ago?"

 

[Jsisto]

This book should be required reading in this country. Every parent must read it, as should everybody who has to manage/supervise anybody under the age of 30.

Buying it right now. Thanks for the recommendation. The concept of good intentions leading to censorship and ultimately authoritarianism from the light or the left is so fucking true, and most people fail to see it. It’s why as I’ve gotten older I’ve leaned pretty hard into free speech at all costs, with little area for exception. The alternative is dangerous.

 

[LordCBH]

I have no idea what I did to make it quote my words as yours. I totally agree about the socialization. I am pushing my kids to go see real people as much as possible now.

Available jobs is nice, but they don’t tell the whole story. Home and rental prices have risen significantly faster than high paying job opportunities have. It’s even worse if you’re getting a job somewhere that has a substantial cost of living (the Bay Area for instance) where your high paying job just can’t cover the cost of actual living.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

nvm

 

[///PATRIOT]

Available jobs is nice, but they don’t tell the whole story. Home and rental prices have risen significantly faster than high paying job opportunities have. It’s even worse if you’re getting a job somewhere that has a substantial cost of living (the Bay Area for instance) where your high paying job just can’t cover the cost of actual living.

What do expect of more and more people wanting live in the same tiny space year over year. It's a supply and demand issue.

 

[mcjmetroid]

I'm not even that old around 32. And I just don't get the whole video recording an event while you're there. I understand if you're a streamer or something but just casually? It's boring

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

Know what these teens need? Fartsputtovideo

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Really good point. We're in the INFORMATION AGE. People are miserable because they know too much about the world.

I think it's funny that the solution people come up with is "we should lessen internet use and social media" rather than "we should address the core problems of the world." Ignorance is bliss, but we simply can't be ignorant anymore.

One problem is much easier to solve than the other. Limiting fb or twitter usage is a lot less complex than fixing climate change.

 

[Catphish]

I'm not even that old around 32. And I just don't get the whole video recording an event while you're there. I understand if you're a streamer or something but just casually? It's boring

Same. I'm always an outlier at events involving my kid. Every fucking parent there is holding up a camera to film theirs, whilst I'm just there, observing with only my eyeballs, like some kind of misplaced Luddite.

I don't record anything. Not my kid, not concerts, not sporting events. I have all kinds of pictures on my phone, but no video recordings.

I want to experience life for myself. Not through a goddamned screen.

 

[PSYGN]

I think the prevalence of music that wears depression and opioid abuse as some sort of glamourous trait or badge of honour is not helping. There's a whole wave of Soundcloud rappers like Lil' Xan who's entire identity is based around being a "sad boy" and being addicted to prescription medication. You've got Machine Gun Kelly, massive with the youth, who's latest album takes a whopping four lines before we get to "I don't want to live any more". Even if the artist's intention isn't for kids to feel like depression and medication is cool, even if the kids don't actively think it themselves, music is a powerful tool and if that's the sort of thing you're primarily listening to it's going to have a profound effect.

Maybe I'm off base, maybe I'm being a 29 year old boomer, but I've been feeling that way for a few years now and it doesn't seem to have gotten any better since it started.

That music normalizes this state of mind and it's not healthy or cute.

 

[Nydius]

This book should be required reading in this country. Every parent must read it, as should everybody who has to manage/supervise anybody under the age of 30.

Another book that dovetails nicely into the conversation is Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses by Richard Arum. It's a bit outdated now given that it was published in 2011 based on 10+ year data back then, but a lot of the conclusions in the book hold up.

For example, the data illustrates how colleges have become more "experience oriented" rather than "education oriented" and that the shift has fundamentally changed how educators and students interact. There was a passage that highlighted how some professors and adjunct professors would purposely give students good grades regardless of performance because better grades translated to better student reviews, which helped bolster the likelihood of the professor obtaining tenure, getting better research opportunities/grants, or simply being hired as full time faculty.

It's a very dry read though.

 

[JimmyRustler]

Social media censorship and restrictions are coming. Been says this for quite some time. First step will be making it adult only. Mark my words.

Call me crazy but unlike say the 80s and 90s I think this generation will be looked down upon in the future. Kinda feel bad for todays teens.