In this day and age, especially as students are transitioning into the new school year, stress levels are bursting in teenagers. Stress is a common aspect of life, and can even be considered healthy in variable amounts. However, it can also lead to more concerning problems like depression and anxiety. There are healthy and unhealthy ways to cope with stress, and an extremely prevalent way is closing yourself off and getting hooked on technology.

Technology, youtube specifically, can be seen as a way for teenagers and even young adults to escape into another world. Teenagers can close themselves off from their family and friends and spend hours and hours with their favorite celebrities  or youtubers like they are physically in front of them. This can be a potential problem for families because their children are closing themselves off to find their happiness while parents worry about their health.

What can be seen as rude in some cases is actually a cry for help from kids who are struggling with mental issues and use technology as a gateway to leave their own world. They are free to fantasize a future that they want and make themselves a part of something that they truly find comfort in.This can be a problem because if a person has trouble making friends and feels ostracized in class, they can resort to youtube and have less contact with the outside world. Their potential to accept who they are and do greater things with their lives goes down.

This is part of the reason why parents or guardians of teenagers who significantly spend a lot of their time on technology should treat them less as misfits or undisciplined kids, and communicate with them more.  Kids who are so “addicted” to certain videos or music or programs might find themselves annoyed with their family because they come in the way of the one place they can find peace of mind or happiness. Communication is better than certain punishments because teenagers can find themselves even more frustrated and dependent on technology. But if someone has a trustworthy adult that patiently listens to what they are struggling with, significant progress can be made.