Thanks to the fast pace of technological innovation, school and university students live in a different world that of their parents. While those before them faced challenges finding resources for their studies, pupils are now challenged with an overwhelming amount of information – much of it unverified – available online. The situation is clearly different, but does this necessarily make school a more stressful environment?
The National reported yesterday on a survey conducted at Jumeirah College that found that teenagers' stress levels can reach breaking point during exam season. Some reasons given for this were poor parental communication, unrelenting schoolwork, lack of sleep, peer pressure and the demands of ever-present social media. It could be argued that most of these pressures have always been present in the educational environment. Some teachers and parents will even say that standards and expectations now are lower than they were two or three generations ago.
Social media platforms, and the internet in general, can certainly be distractions for students. They can also be conduits for peer pressure and even cyber bullying. Child psychologists say that teenagers’ engagement with social media at night damages their sleep patterns and puts their mental well-being at risk. But distractions of any kind can have an effect on academic performance, and every generation has had them – from sports to comic books, pop music and television. Such diversions can even be healthy stress-busters if they are properly managed.
What has always been true is that pupils who feel anxious should discuss it with their parents, teachers or counsellors. This can be difficult. A study by Glasgow University's school of psychology found that teenagers are reluctant to talk to their parents about their anxiety, because they think they will be blamed.
Most educators and parents understand the challenges school pupils face and are prepared to help them to develop techniques to navigate their way to success. After all, they’ve been in the same situation themselves.
