Family Lives survey also reveals teenagers’ greatest fears and their advice for parents
At Family Lives we wanted to find out what teens really think about life, school and everything else in between, so we ran a survey to find out. The results are fascinating and really show us what teens care and worry about the most.
Family is the most important thing for teenagers
Despite the strains of being a teenager, family is by far the most important thing in a teen’s life. Out of 235 teens (aged 13-19) surveyed, 141 chose familyamong the three most important things in their lives. This was closely followed by friends (126) and school(41). Some teens, however, had different things on their minds when they answered the survey, with phones, food, and pets also featuring in the top ten answers.
The importance of family also played into teens’ greatest fears, with the most common fears being around the idea of losing loved ones. Many also had concerns about being abandoned or left alone, highlighting again the importance of friends and family. Other common answers showed that lots of teens felt anxiety about the reality of their eventual death, or that failure and an unsuccessful future were a real cause for concern.
We also asked teens what they felt were the best and worst things about being a teenager in today’s world. The most popular answers for the best thing about being a teenager were around the idea of enjoying the freedom of youth and the lack of responsibility it carries. Teens seemed to be very aware that this period of their lives won’t last forever and they are enjoying this golden period between childhood and adulthood, where they can have lots of fun with their friends without yet having to worry about financial pressures.
When asked the worst thing about being a teenager, 43 teens told us they felt judged and pressurised by society. Many teens talked about the difficulties of being stereotyped and undervalued. When asked what they thought was the worst thing about being a teenager, one 15-year-old girl said:
“That I sometimes don't get taken seriously and get treated like a child. However, I think I have an understanding that is similar to most adults. I also think that I shouldn’t have to be an adult to make a change.”
Interestingly, where so many had told us they enjoyed the lack of responsibility of being a teenager, another 36 teens found that the worst aspect of being a teenager was the lack of freedom to make their own choices. Only 20 picked school and exams as the worst thing about being a teenager, with stress, hormones and puberty all falling even lower down the list. The things we might think of as the ‘traditional’ troubles of the teenage years might seem to have been superseded by a more existential angst, as teens strive to forge an identity that goes against the stereotype.
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