Being a teen in the 21st century is hard. We have to deal with stress everywhere. We have to worry about drugs, underage drinking, tobacco, school, and what we want to do with our lives. Our world is changing at every turn, and we have to keep up.

As a teen, there are many stresses. One of these is the pressure to drink alcohol, do drugs, and smoke. Advertisements and media from alcohol and tobacco companies target teens, and specifically target our inexperience. They try to portray all of these things as good and that they will improve your life. They lie to us; try to get us to experiment, and then they have us hooked for life. There is also a lot of peer pressure to drink alcohol and to smoke. The phrase “Just one won’t hurt” comes to mind. Underage drinking and smoking has become a huge problem among teens. The Partnership for a Drug-free America found that 5000 young people under the age of 21 die each year from alcohol related car accidents. According to a study performed by TAADAS, one fourth of ninth graders surveyed admitted to drinking five or more drinks on one occasion in the past month. Tobacco products, mainly cigarettes, are another huge problem. In a study done, 34 percent of high school students admitted to using any tobacco product in the past 30 days.

There are a lot of stresses that come with going to school as a teen in the 21st century. We have to worry constantly about making it to the next class on time, getting all our books, and hoping and praying you didn’t forget anything. It’s very stressful trying to balance your schoolwork, sports if you play them, all while trying to make time to hang out with your friends. It’s difficult sometimes keeping your grades up, all while juggling a busy schedule.

Being a teen in the 21st century is very demanding. There is a lot of stress and peer pressure to cope with, and there is a lot of outside pressure to do drugs, smoke, and drink alcohol. School can wear you out pretty fast with all its demands and stresses. Your choices can make these years either the best or the worst years of your life.