Top 3 issues that young people are facing today

Young people today are facing some tough issues. From advancing technology and socio-cultural problems that are out of people’s control, it can be easy for today’s youth to be led down the wrong path or become left feeling trapped in a state of negativity or self-consciousness.   
 
Many TV shows or movies these days focus on storylines addressing current social issues. For example, the popular Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why showcases the severe effects of mental illness among secondary school students, caused by harassment and forms of assault from their peers. Although spreading awareness, this doesn’t stop the social issues that young people endure. 
  
In this blog, we explore the top three issues that young people could be facing daily. Find out how a BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work degree can prepare you for a career making a positive difference in the lives of young people.  

Children are Growing Up too Fast  

Being a child 15-20 years ago meant going to play in the park with your friends. Now, it means playing games and interacting with people all online. While advancing technology has made this happen, safety measures haven’t yet caught up to protect children from the dangers of the internet. Social media is a key example. A lot of social platforms have a minimum age of 14 years old, but there’s no legally binding policy in place to enforce that. As a result, this enables underage children capable of setting up accounts with fake ages, leaving them exposed and vulnerable to an abundance of information that is inappropriate for their age group. This can often lead them to start making poor life choices based on the content they are seeing; whether this is talking to older men or women, falling victim to peer pressure, or simply watching inappropriate content.  

Drug and Alcohol Abuse 

Another serious issue that today’s youth are facing is drug and alcohol abuse. 2021 data from BBC news revealed that one in ten teenagers admitted to having tried hard drugs, and this number is only getting higher as the level of peer pressure in society increases. A large reason for the increase in drug and alcohol abuse is the increased accessibility of substances in society. However, what makes it a larger issue is the fact that the health risks of administering drugs are being ignored due to the desire to look ‘cool’. This means that drug and alcohol abuse can lead to issues such as addiction, mental health issues, legal troubles, and serious health issues including death in the most severe case. 

More Children are Growing Up in Single-Parent Households 

Today, there are around 1.8 million single-parent households in the UK; equating to nearly one-quarter of families with dependent children. A major effect that living in a single-parent household might have on young people is feeling lonely. This is because there are circumstances when growing up that a girl might feel more comfortable going to their mum about, and vice versa with a boy and their dad. This means that if a child doesn’t have this then it could lead to them bottling things up; which could then have larger effects on their actions and behaviour. Causing them to make poor decisions when out in the community due to the lack of support at home. 

Benefits of a BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work Degree 

If reading this has resonated with you and made you want to make a positive difference in your community, then a Community Development and Youth Work degree at Bolton University could be an ideal way of pursuing a rewarding career. 
   
From being recognised by the Joint Negotiating Committee and endorsed by the Endorsement Standards Board for Community Development and the National Youth Agency, our course is one that guarantees to help you stand out in an ever-evolving industry. At Bolton, we believe that for our students to reach their full potential, they need to learn from getting out in the community. That’s why as part of the course, they undertake a total of 800 hours of fieldwork practice and work-based learning. This can be made up of studying in several distinct settings that aim to improve the lives of young people in communities; preparing our students for a career where they will need to adapt to changing environments.   
 
Our excellent links with over 70 partners and external agencies mean that we can offer our students placements in youth and community centres, schools, alternative education projects, women’s refuges, and community projects; supporting their industry knowledge development in any area of the industry they wish to enter.  
 
Interested in studying at a leading Greater Manchester university that has been voted first for Student Satisfaction for the past five years? * Look at our Community Development and Youth Work course details in more detail.  
 
Contact us at enquiries@bolton.ac.uk or call us on 01204 903807 for more information. 

Come and enjoy #UniAsItShouldBe; where our student’s needs are put first. 
 
*Complete University Guide - Student Satisfaction – Northwest – 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019