I’m sure you have heard adults say: “Gosh, these kids are so lazy these days!” and it’s a phrase we hear all the time. But the question of the matter is, is that true? Is our generation more lazy than our predecessors? Or are there other factors at play?

First of all, mental illness in kids today is one of the leading factors of why kids might be perceived as “lazy.” According to the CDC, in 2021, more than 4 in 10 (42%) students felt persistently sad or hopeless, and nearly one-third (29%) experienced poor mental health. Also, in 2021, more than 1 in 5 (22%) of students seriously considered attempting suicide and 1 in 10 (10%) attempted suicide. And those numbers have increased. Research by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) shows that nearly 50% of adolescents in the United States have experienced a mental disorder at some point in their lives. Also, statistics from the World Health Organization show a 13% increase in reported mental health disorders over the past ten years. Suicide is the second-most common cause of death reported for those aged 15-29, and that does line up with the generation that is most perceived as lazy. 

Another potential reason is stress. It is well known that humanity has known stress from the beginning of time, so it is natural to think that the younger generation is lazy because “Back in my day, we had it worse. We hunted for our food and fought bears to protect our hunter-gatherer groups.” It is a natural assumption to make. But you see, there is a different kind of stressor that is at play here. One that we as a society have not faced in all of human history…

Technology! Surprised? 

Yes, I’m sure you are sick of hearing it, but it is true. And is it ultimately the technology that is the problem? 

Let me say something controversial: no.

Yes, if technology is used in the wrong way, it can be detrimental to an adolescent’s emotional, mental, and even physical health. But notice how I said if it was used in the wrong way.

But how do we know we’re using it in the wrong way?

We don’t.

From the time my generation could talk, there was technology that the mainstream public was beginning to learn about, just beginning to use. So, it makes sense that parents were unprepared to prepare their children for the future with technology. We, as a generation, were completely blindsided, and this is all we know by how much we are on our phones and how much it has affected our emotional well-being, but is that our fault? 

No. This is one of the main reasons technology isn’t what causes us to be “lazy;” it is a lack of leadership and direction. The younger generation is facing an entirely different kind of stress, and it is a constant one. Where before, if we were bullied at school, we could escape it at home. Now, that bullying follows us wherever we go. Currently, our parents can see exactly what our grades are every second of the day, so after a while, that will wear on all of us. And after all that, if something doesn’t matter to that person who’s already been pulled in a million directions, they’re thinking, “Why even try? Why does this matter?” 

We are unmotivated and lost. There is no time to breathe, and life is moving at a breakneck speed and only getting faster, so at this point, all of us are just trying to scrape by and do the bare minimum required to pass. Is that really what we want for ourselves? To barely scrape by to graduate and barely scrape by in our adult lives? Is that a good way to live? 

No, it’s not. It is a weird cycle that goes around and around, and it always leads to more tired, stressed-out individuals with no energy to do anything by the end of the day.

So how do we end it?

Like most issues, there is no clear-cut answer, but there are places to start, and firstly, it starts with you.

Yes, I’m well aware that it is cliche, and you’re sick of hearing, “You can do it! The magic is within YOU.” But honestly, it is true. If you care for our future and if you want to see society get better, now is the time to step up as a leader because if the problem of unmotivated kids is not addressed now, we will have the problem of unmotivated and stressed adults, which in turn will rub off on the next generation. 

Secondly, if you need help, get it. If you have a mental illness, it will be worse the longer you keep it to yourself. I understand that sharing that with someone can be terrifying, but you are not hurting anyone by seeking help. 

Also, and this will sound cliche, it will help to spend less time on electronics. It is a scientifically proven fact that people who use technology for more than an hour a day have shown higher levels of anxiety and depression symptoms. Still, I’m not saying get rid of technology altogether. Technology can be a great tool for communication, education, and entertainment. Still, it is being used as the only thing that is being used for those things. It is used out of moderation and, therefore, doing much more harm than good, especially considering how future generations will completely depend on technology if we keep going on this path.

Yes, there are plenty of external stimuli that make it hard to go from day-to-day life, but right here, right now, I am asking you, the reader, to try. Things aren’t ever going to get better unless you try to make it better. Things will never improve if you don’t try to make the change. I’m not saying that it’ll be easy because it won’t. But life never is. But if you want a future for you and future generations, you have to try.

And I know you can do it.