– There are videos and advertisements about how to be the perfect you and what to do with your life. Karoline Sortland (17) She does not hide the fact that she is influenced by social media and influencers. Because it is no secret that there are many young people who feel the same way as Karoline. – There is a lot of pressure from society. It can have negative consequences. Ida Malene Sydnes (18) – People think that everyone has perfect lives and end up stressed because your life is not perfect, says Ida Malene. – I don’t feel that much pressure. Kriadis Oddsdottir (16) – But I think there are others who feel the pressure to be like influencers in order for you to have a good life. Simon Elias Bogen / news Our society has been in a process of change in recent years. Digitalisation, social media and productivity. These three do a lot of good, but they also create challenges. Today’s youth generation has received the achievement badge. It may seem that they are more concerned with performing and doing well in many areas – compared to previous generations. In upper secondary schools, around 40 per cent of girls and 15 per cent of boys have answered that they experience pressure in at least two areas in their lives. (External link). – Can be refuted But it is far from all young people who feel this pressure to perform, according to NOVA researcher and head of the Youth Data Centre, Anders Bakken. – We can refute the notion that we had an entire generation experiencing pressure. To a certain extent, it is a bit inflated, says Bakken. Anders Bakken is a researcher at the Welfare Research Institute NOVA at Oslo Met. He believes that many people have a misconception that most young people today have a great deal of pressure to perform. Photo: Tom Balgaard He emphasizes that there are many young people who feel a great deal of pressure – and supports this with surveys. When young people were asked in the Ungdata report for 2022, 17 percent answered that they experienced so much pressure in the last week that they had problems coping with it. But he believes young people – in many cases – have been cut across the board. – You forget that there are many young people who don’t know much about pressure either, he says. More girls than boys The surveys from Ungdata clearly show that boys feel far less pressure and stress than girls: – Feeling pressure is stressful. Nicklas Taranger (16) – Girls may care more about what others think. – Everything goes rather smoothly. Ole Kristian Huglen Pedersen (15) – The reason is probably that I don’t feel there is so much stress at school at the moment. – I don’t care that much. Then there will be no pressure. Henrik Myge Kvale (16) – Girls probably care more about grades and such.Simon Elias Bogen / news Life advice on social media High school student Karoline herself has experienced so much pressure that she has struggled to deal with it. Karoline often feels pressure – like many others her age. Photo: Simon Elias Bogen / news She says it comes from people on social media who offer tips and advice and the pressure she feels at school and from society in general. – You get the urge to follow the advice you get on social media. The advice she talks about can, for example, relate to exercise, health and social life. But there are especially many videos like this one below, and the advice that comes can be totally different from video to video: Advice like this is everywhere on TikTok. Screen recording Fearless Mindset, 21 November 2023. A media-created definition Psychologist and philosopher Ole Jacob Madsen agrees with researcher Bakken. He has written a book specifically about “generation achievement”. There he claims that parts of this generational perception have been created by the media. – It became a popular understanding of youth in the mid-2010s because resourceful youth who were struggling were more easily available to write about for the media. Psychologist and philosopher Ole Jacob Madsen. He is also professor of culture and social psychology at the Department of Psychology at the University of Oslo. Photo: Tor Stenersen He says things about these young people were more popular and click-friendly. The young people were also better than others at putting their problems on the agenda in, for example, social media, according to Madsen. But he does not believe that generational achievement is a myth either: – Many people experience stress and pressure linked to having to perform at school. It is linked to concerns about entering the right upper secondary school and higher education, he says. – Reason for concern Tove Gundersen is secretary general of the Council for Mental Health. She says there is no doubt that young people today are under pressure to perform. – For some, pressure will flourish in the face of perfect presentations from, for example, influencers. We can easily feel left out when we see communities we are not allowed to take part in, she says. Secretary General of the Council for Mental Health, Tove Gundersen. Photo: Thomas Bjørnflaten She refers to recent figures in FHI’s public health report. – Among girls in 2022, 29 per cent of upper secondary students had a high level of mental health problems. The proportion has increased steadily since 2010, says Gundersen. She says the performance pressure young people feel has a connection here. – The figures give cause for concern, and are an indication that the structures around children and young people are causing too much strain. Limiting time on social media Both Karoline and Ida Malene try to limit the time they spend on social media. This is to avoid content that advertises how they should live “the perfect life”. Because there is a lot of content out there that focuses on just that. And that, the two believe, can be harmful to the generation. Karoline and her friend Ida Malene Sydnes. Photo: Simon Elias Bogen / news
ttn-69
Researcher believes “generation achievement” has been mislabeled – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
