We should commit to youth development as if our collective future depended on it because it does. We must build a world worthy of young people’s energy and ready for their talents. Such a world would ensure each adolescent entered adulthood knowing they mattered to those around them.
The opportunity to develop youth to their potential remains largely untapped because our cultural understanding of youth has not advanced far beyond when adolescence was portrayed as a time of storm and stress.1 People who believe mistaken views that suggest youth are wired for risk or perceive themselves as invincible feel justified in focusing their energies on protecting youth from themselves rather than investing in their growth. Those who wrongly believe youth do not appreciate adult input miss the opportunity to engage with them. This scenario is tragic because positive adult presence is the most protective force in the lives of young people. Full stop.
Our mixed messages about adolescents, who they are, how they think and behave, and what they mean to us, directly undermine young people’s sense of self and negatively influence how social systems like education, law enforcement, and health care shape their lives. We can and must do better.2 Those who care for and about adolescents must take the lead to assure youth are seen as they deserve to be seen.
We can address risk while simultaneously offering a strength-based understanding of what youth are experiencing, one that empowers rather than harms youth.3 Words matter. For example, there is no such thing as an “at-risk youth.” Instead, “youth are placed at risk” because of circumstances that take a toll on their developmental trajectories and undermine forces like racism, poverty, and family dysfunction. These young people are “deserving of our focused attention” to protect their healthy development and right the wrongs they have endured.
We need to wisely change the cultural narrative about youth by replacing it with a broader understanding of the developmental pathways of adolescence that underscore youth as a time of enormous potential. Social psychology research reveals that even acknowledging the existence of a misperception (for example, “Some people think all teenagers are wired for risk, but that’s not true”) reinforces those ideas.2,4 We know, “If you don’t believe it, don’t repeat it.”2 Instead, we must explain the developmental context and invite people to support youth development as a strategy to secure our collective future.
Those of us who work directly with youth have a unique vantage point. Although we may possess the wisdom of years, youth remain forward-thinking and are always the experts in their own lives. That is respectful practice. As we invite them to consider wiser, safer choices, we build on all that is good and right about them. We see them as they deserve to be seen, not according to the behavior they might be displaying, the distress they may be experiencing, or a label they might have received. Just as they really are. Inspirational. Resilient. Sensitive. Insightful. That is loving practice.3
Responding to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has had a profound impact on many young people. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that youth emerging from the pandemic have increased levels of emotional distress, engagement in risk behaviors (eg, substance use, eating disorders), and adverse outcomes such as sexually transmitted infections.5–7 A declaration from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association highlighted adolescent mental health as a national emergency.8 We must garner the resources to address these issues urgently. However, as we advocate for the critical needs of youth, we must avoid painting this generation with a broad brush of brokenness lest we harm young people by reinforcing the mistaken “storm and stress” narrative of adolescence. Instead, we must help people understand why the pandemic was a circumstance particularly disruptive to adolescent development. Then, we must offer strategies to tap into youth potential.
Many adolescents experienced tremendous losses during the pandemic (eg, parental/family death) and endured economic hardships. All adolescents experienced disruptions in their education and many missed developmental milestones (eg, graduations and cultural celebrations marking their growth). Many young people lost protective adult relationships within schools, religious/cultural settings, and after-school activities. Youth had their social connections disrupted. They had limited contact with their friends and were separated from their elder relatives. Adolescents found themselves limited in what they could do and where they were allowed to go.
When these disruptions are placed in a developmental context, we understand why the pandemic took a heavy toll on youth. Adolescence is about learning, and formal and informal educational opportunities were disrupted. Adolescents’ developmental imperative is to stretch into new territories and gain new privileges as they demonstrate responsibility, but their autonomy was curtailed during the pandemic. Youth should form new relationships outside the family, but such connections were restricted. Young people in the process of developing identities need access to role models and protective adults, but such connections were limited.
We who serve youth have the privilege and obligation to help people understand the developmental potential of adolescents. We must speak honestly of the crises facing too many adolescents in a clarion call for justified resources to address the current mental health and behavioral challenges. Simultaneously, we must use this moment that disrupted the protective forces of human connection to highlight the imperative of supportive adults and peers in the lives of adolescents.
Every generation is shaped by what it experiences during its adolescent years. The pandemic created a crisis of human connection and isolation. Imagine, however, what it felt like for young people to learn together again in school. Imagine what it felt like when they could first play alongside one another as teammates. Imagine their first experiences being able to worship together. Above all, imagine how they experienced their first hugs with their grandparents and other elders after they were forced, as a matter of safety, to maintain their distance. These experiences likely solidified their understanding of the importance of relationships.
Today’s youth have earned an understanding, perhaps like no generation before them, of the necessity of human connection. Shaped by this understanding, youth are positioned to lead us into a vastly improved future. The repercussions of adolescent disconnections unveiled by the pandemic present a window of opportunity that must not be squandered. Instead, we must leverage the lessons learned from the pandemic to ensure all adolescents benefit from supportive adult relationships, community connections, and structure in their lives.
The author approved the final manuscript as submitted and agrees to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
FUNDING: No external funding.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURES: The author has indicated he has no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.
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