Kids These Days

A lot has happened since the teens at Community High School started working this podcast nearly a year ago.

We’re eight months into the COVID outbreak. Three months since Minneapolis police killed George Floyd.

Black Lives Matter protests ignited a reckoning on race for seemingly every institution in this country.

Teens who live in a college town like Ann Arbor can feel a lot of academic pressure to get all As or get into the best school. 

So how does this quest to be perfect affect the way teens think of themselves?

Cammi Tirico found out she got into her dream school back in December. But the story she wants to tell isn’t about that day.

A heads up before we get started: we do talk about the existence of drugs… and vaping specifically. It may not be suitable for younger listeners. If you or a friend are trying to quit vaping, check out some resources to help.

We know there can be serious consequences to vaping. So why do so many teens continue to do it? 

If you or a friend are trying to quit vaping, here are some resources to help. Learn more about the negative impacts of vaping and discover resources about how to help.

Let’s talk about teens and phones.

Cell phones have always been there throughout their lives.

They use them all the time, but may never talk about how they use them. The unspoken rules, expectations of social media; how phones impact relationships.

A note before we get started: we talk briefly about depression and suicide in this episode. If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health issues, we have a list of resources available to help on our website.

Part of being a teen is realizing that things are not as simple as they seem.

That there’s a darker side to the world that maybe you’re just seeing for the first time.

It’s also a time when — some of us, hopefully — figure out ways to navigate that.

Before we get started we want to let you know that we talk about sex in this episode. Just a heads up.

A kid sends a text to his parents. The text was only two words. It said: "I’m homosexual."

Their mom texted back to say “I love you, let’s talk about it later.” And the kid wrote back: 

“No. Let’s not talk about it later. This is a one time event. Sorry.”

A note: We talk briefly about depression and suicide in this episode. If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health issues, we have a list of resources available to help here.

Kids these days are stressed. Really. They’re a lot more stressed than generations before them.

Millions of teens have an anxiety disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Mira is one of those teens. She’s a sophomore at Community High School.

A note: In this episode we talk about school lockdown drills, which may not be appropriate for our younger listeners.

Gen Z is growing up in a world changed forever before they were even born by events like September 11 and Columbine.

They’ve also been hit with two defining events that will shape their lives in ways we can’t even anticipate: the looming threat of climate change, and the more immediate threat of COVID-19.

Three weeks after police killed George Floyd, teens have been out on the streets to protest police brutality and systemic racism.

Some people may wonder: why? What is motivating teens to step out, to speak up, and to demand change?

To try and answer that, let’s move out of the streets and into the home for just a moment.

If you or someone you know is facing immediate harm because of suicidal or homicidal thoughts or actions, please get help now:

Teenagers. Always on their phones (but don’t know how to make a phone call). Endlessly curating their identities on Instagram. Unprepared for “the real world.” These are some of the stereotypes of Generation Z. But are they accurate? What are young people really thinking about, laughing about, and stressing about right now?