Bellevue Christian Counseling Logo

  • ServicesRead about the expertise available
    • Individual ServicesAddress your personal concerns confidentially
      • ADHD
      • Abandonment Issues and Neglect
      • Aging and Geriatric Issues
      • Anger Management
      • Anxiety
      • Autism Spectrum Disorder
      • Bipolar Disorder
      • Chemical Dependency
      • Counseling for Children
      • Counseling for Teens
      • Codependency
      • Depression
      • Eating Disorders
      • EMDR
      • Grief and loss Counseling
      • Individual Counseling
      • Infidelity and Affairs
      • Lifespan Integration Therapy
      • Men’s Issues
      • OCD
      • Personal Development
      • Psychological Testing
      • PTSD
      • Relationship Issues
      • Sex And Porn Addiction
      • Sexual Abuse
      • Spiritual Development
      • Trauma
      • Weight Loss
      • Women’s Issues
    • Christian Couples CounselingWork through challenges together
      • Couples Counseling
      • Premarital Counseling
      • Marriage Counseling
    • Family CounselingEstablish the peaceful home you desire
      • Christian Counseling for Children
        and Teens
      • Family Counseling
    • Group CounselingBenefit from the support of others
      • Men’s Sexual Addiction Recovery
        Group
      • All Counseling Groups
    • Online Counseling
    • Anxiety
    • Depression
    • Marriage Counseling
    • Sex And Porn Addiction
  • LocationsChoose from our variety of office locations
    • Bellevue Office FrontBellevue
    • Bothell Office Front EntranceBothell
    • Edmonds Christian CounselingEdmonds
    • Everett Office Front EntranceEverett
    • Federal Way Office FrontFederal Way
    • Hansville
    • Kent 2Kent
    • Kirkland Christian CounselingKirkland
    • LaceyLacey
    • Mill Creek Office Waiting RoomMill Creek
    • Monroe
    • Oak Harbor Office OutsideOak Harbor
    • Poulsbo
    • Puyallup Christian CounselingPuyallup
    • Redmond OfficeRedmond
    • Seattle Downtown OfficeSeattle Downtown
    • Seattle Greenlake 2Seattle Greenlake
    • Silverdale Office FrontSilverdale
    • Tacoma Office FrontTacoma
    • Spokane ValleySpokane Valley
    • Vancouver
    •  1Online Counseling
  • CounselorsFind the best counselor for your needs
  • CareersBecome an affiliated Christian counselor
  • (425) 939-6856Please give us a call, we are here to help
header-image

Common Teen Issues Facing Teenagers Today

Bellevue Christian Counseling
https://bellevuechristiancounseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/common-teen-issues-facing-teenagers-today-3.jpg 1920 1280
https://bellevuechristiancounseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/bellevue.jpg
https://bellevuechristiancounseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/cropped-cropped-seattle-logo.png
330 112th Ave NE, Suite 302
BELLEVUE, WA 98004
United States
330 112th Ave NE, Suite 302
BELLEVUE, WA 98004
United States
Photo of Maureen Zach

Maureen Zach

Oct
2023
11

Common Teen Issues Facing Teenagers Today

Maureen Zach

Counseling for TeensFamily CounselingIndividual Counseling

Being a teenager is full of ups and downs. The older you get, the more responsibility and expectations you have. Navigating relationships both in real life and online is complicated. Skills such as driving and holding down a job are hard to master. Plus, a teen’s body is still growing and fluctuating with hormones. That alone can make teens moody and clumsy.

Common contemporary teen issues.

Common Teen Issues Facing Teenagers Today 2Living with all these changes and pressures can take a toll on a teen’s mental health. Depression and anxiety are on the rise in teens. Let’s talk about some teen issues that affect teens’ mental health and how the adults in their lives can provide help.

Social media.

Teens today live a great deal of their lives online. Many of them have had parents sharing pictures and videos of them since they were born. Kids ranging from 13-18 haven’t known a world without the Internet. This has its pros and cons. On one hand, they know how to navigate the internet as a tool, but on the other hand, they may not know how to set boundaries.

Like us if you are enjoying this content.

Social media can look like a lot of fun, with the dances and outfit-of-the-day posts. However, the reality is that there is a lot of pressure to be a certain way, and social media is about perception more than reality so teens end up comparing themselves to filtered photos and highlight reels. This can create body image issues as well as discontentment until they have the item, clothes, or whatever else may be trending on social media.

Algorithms feed teens all kinds of people and ideas to follow. There can be a lot of bad advice that teens can get from social media, such as pseudo-psychology and inaccurate information. It is important to discuss with teens how to find reliable sources of information and learn that trends pass. Not everything needs to be bought or believed because it is popular right now.

Learning safe social media practices is also important. Both cyberbullying and predatory behavior happen online. Teaching your teen how to deal with cruelty, criticism, and creeps is important. Teens need to learn how to protect their identity, including not sharing their driver’s license or other personal information on social media. Their bodies and locations are to be kept discreet.

Safe social media practices for teens.

If you are a parent who is trying to help your teen with safe practices on social media, have regular discussions with your teen about reasonable expectations.

  • Determine what social media applications are appropriate for your teen
  • Set time limits such as 20 minutes a day on Instagram, TikTok, etc.
  • Make social media accounts private and use all the privacy settings.
  • Consider being on the same social media applications as your teen to be aware of what they see and do
  • Encourage in-person relationships over online ones.
  • Model healthy practices. Put your phone away during meals, set time limits for yourself, and focus on being present with people.
  • Choose hobbies that don’t require a phone.

Academic standards.Common Teen Issues Facing Teenagers Today 1

School takes up the bulk of a teenager’s life. From classes to homework, extracurriculars, and tests, a teen can develop a lot of issues from trying to meet the academic standards placed on him or her.

Standardized tests have become the way that schools prove their worth to the community. But if a teen has autism, ADHD, testing anxiety, or any other form of challenge academically, the tests are not an accurate reflection of his or her intelligence. Now he or she is in an environment where he or she is forced to prove his or her value as it impacts the whole. This can develop into issues with self-esteem and depression.

A teen’s worth should not derive from the ability (or lack thereof) to take a standardized test or their grades overall. It is important that your teen be allowed to succeed to the best of his or her ability. Parents should be supporting their teens, not pressuring them to measure up to a predetermined standard.

Parental pressures can take precedence in pushing toward certain goals (a specific college and/or career, a certain type of sport). The expectation that a teen will have a clear life path determined by age eighteen is expecting a level of self-awareness that many adults are not capable of achieving.

Further, grades, resumes, and college acceptances do not solely determine a teen’s success, but parents often make their teen feel as though this is the reality and project their own anxiety about their teen’s future onto their teen. Teenagers are still learning about themselves, still physically growing, and need guidance, not pressure.

Provide support, not pressure.

A parent’s role is to help a teen navigate the necessary decisions and responsibilities that their teen is facing.

  • If your teen is struggling with grades, check in on why that may be.
  • If your teen seems overwhelmed by the amount of stuff on his or her plate, help him or her decide if something can be removed.
  • Ask open-ended questions about his or her future, dreams, hopes, and fears.
  • Allow space for uncertainty.
  • Give grace when mistakes are made, and advice for long-term success.

Peer pressure.

Common Teen Issues Facing Teenagers TodayNot all pressures come from the adults surrounding a teen. Peer pressure is as ancient as peer groups.

Sometimes a little pressure from peers can be a healthy thing. Maybe your teen was uninspired in history class but is paired with a partner who is passionate about the topic and getting a good grade. Perhaps your teen wants to push themselves in a sport to add value to their team. Positive peer pressure can inspire a teen to pursue healthy goals. Friends can provide a safe space for like-minded people sharing similar challenges and interests.

Negative peer pressure is the kind that forces people to do something they don’t want or that is unsafe, possibly even illegal. Teens who struggle with self-esteem will be far more vulnerable to negative peer pressures. The teenager who wants to be accepted by a group may do a great deal to change himself or herself to fit in. If the adults in a teenager’s life are critical and place a lot of pressure on him or her, the teenager will often seek out acceptance elsewhere.

Your teen’s friends.

When your teen is going through one of these teen issues or another type of struggle, there is a high chance that he or she will talk to his or her friends before he or she talks to an adult. Building a relationship with your teen’s friends can give you a lot of insight into your teen’s life. Here are a few ideas on how to do this:

  • Have the friends over often to observe the interactions.
  • Offer rides whenever you can and be a quiet driver while you let them talk.
  • Get to know the parents of your teen’s friends.

What Do Teens Need from Adults?

Teens often need a lot more than adults think. As a teenager deals with issues of increasing maturity there is excitement about new things.

But new things often mean a teen has no experience to bolster his or her confidence.

He or she starts a new job and gets yelled at in the first week for making a mistake. He or she studies hard for a test only to fail. Friends say something critical about a favorite movie and suddenly your teen is questioning everything.

Common Teen Issues Facing Teenagers Today 3

If you are parenting teens, your role has shifted from problem solver to active listener. A child needs help solving a problem, yet a teen needs support to solve problems. Teens may not ask for advice directly; they just want someone to hear their sides of the story.

In a world that constantly places pressure on teenagers, adults and parents who provide positive words and compassion will be a gift to a teen. Compliment them on looks and outfits, notice hard work and successes, and pay attention to the things that bring your teen joy. Reach out to your teen, just letting him or her know you are available.

Be patient through teen’s moods, attitudes, and trends and try not to take it personally. This too shall pass, including everything that feels major to your teen and minor to you, and everything about parenting a teen. It is just a season. With much patience, you will both come out the other side as better human beings.

Christian counseling for teen issues.

If you are currently parenting a teen, you may want to talk with a counselor about how best to navigate this season. If your teen is struggling with depression, anxiety, or other common teen issues, talking to a counselor can be helpful. Call today to set up an appointment.

Photos:
“Friends”, Courtesy of Tim Mossholder, Unsplash.com, CC0 License;
“Empty Classroom”, Courtesy of MChe Lee, Unsplash.com, CC0 License; “Social Media”, Courtesy of Georgia de Lotz, Unsplash.com, CC0 License; “Woman Carrying Books”, Courtesy of Element5 Digital, Unsplash.com, CC0 License

DISCLAIMER: THIS ARTICLE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE

The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this article are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please contact one of our counselors for further information.

  • Share on Facebook
  • Tweet it
  • ↑ Back to top
Photo of Maureen Zach
Maureen is currently not accepting new clients

Maureen Zach

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
(253) 238-3900 maureenz@seattlechristiancounseling.com

Life is hard. God did not promise us that life was going to be easy, but He does not call us to do it on our own. I believe that things can get better, and my passion is to help people experience transformation in themselves and their lives. Together we will look to our God, who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). My hope is that your growth will extend to all areas of your life and help you become a better son or daughter, friend, parent, co-worker, classmate, or spouse. Read more articles by Maureen »

Other articles that might interest you...

spacer
Bellevue Christian Counseling

Why Children’s Counseling?

As you decorate a child’s room with art at their eye level, age appropriate toys, and child sized furniture, so...

continue reading »
Bellevue Christian Counseling 2
Photo of Erik Mildes

Erik Mildes

Adolescent Counseling

The culture that today’s adolescents are growing up in is vastly different than the culture their parents grew up in....

continue reading »
Mental Health Awareness
Bellevue Christian Counseling

Mental Health Awareness

  May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Although we have made great strides in making mental health care more accessible...

continue reading »

About Maureen

Photo of Maureen Zach

Maureen Zach, MS, LMFT

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Life is hard. God did not promise us that life was going to be easy, but He does not call us to do it on our own. I believe that things can get better, and my passion is to help people experience transformation in themselves and their lives. Together we will look to our God, who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). My hope is that your growth will extend to all areas of your life and help you become a better son or daughter, friend, parent, co-worker, classmate, or spouse. View Maureen's Profile

Recent articles by Maureen

  • Sep 4 · How to Share Scripture about Worry with Your Child
  • May 28 · Steps to Protect Your Mental and Emotional Health
  • Dec 22 · “I Am Angry . . .”: Getting Below the Surface of Anger
See all articles by Maureen »

Related Services

  • Counseling for Teens
  • Family Counseling
  • Individual Counseling

Maureen's Office Locations

  • Photo of the Online (WA only) office

    Online (WA only)

    General Office Number

    (206) 388-3929
    ,  

    View Office Details
Bellevue Christian Counseling Logo
Bellevue Christian Counseling
Professional help with faith-based values
We are an association of professional, independently licensed Christian counselors experienced in helping people of all ages find healing for a wide variety of issues.
© 2025 Bellevue Christian Counseling. All rights reserved.
330 112th Ave NE,, Bellevue, WA 98004. Tel (425) 939-6856.
Facebook Twitter Online Counseling About Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use Feel free to contact us!
We are open for business. In person and online counseling are available now.